Eucommia ulmoides - Hardy Rubber Tree

Eucommia ulmoides, commonly known as the Gutta-percha Tree or Gum Tree, is a widely cultivated tree in China. When the leaves are broken, they release a rubbery substance and it is the only rubber tree in the northern hemisphere. It grows rapidly, forming a wide and rounded crown, and its habit resembles an elm tree. Eucommia ulmoides is the largest source of rubber among perennial trees. The Chinese use its bark for medicinal purposes.

Eucommia ulmoides belongs to the Eucommiaceae family. It is the only species in the Eucommia genus. It is a latex tree with deciduous leaves, native to temperate regions, probably originating from China. It is widely cultivated in China for its bark and is highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in Chinese herbology, where it is called dùzhòng. It forms a tree with an open and rounded crown and reaches about 15 to 20 m in height. The leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple and ovate, with a pointed tip and toothed edge, 8 to 16 cm long. If a leaf is torn, the latex exuded by the leaf veins solidifies into rubber. The two half-leaves remain attached thanks to the filaments formed by this substance. It blooms from March to May. The small, inconspicuous, green unisex flowers appear just before or at the same time as the leaves and are arranged at the base of the young branches. The fruit, present from June to November, is a winged samara with a single seed, very similar to an elm samara, 2 to 3 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide.

The easy to grow, Gutta-percha Tree thrives in full sun or partial shade, in any fertile and well-drained soil, but it adapts quite well to all types of soils. It tolerates drought, heat, and air pollution. It is a large tree to be planted as a specimen in a medium to large garden or park.