What kind of tree does cork come from?
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What kind of tree does cork come from? |
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Useful cork comes from the cork oak, Quercus suber. |
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Where do cork oaks grow? |
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| The oldest and most productive of these trees are growing around the western Mediterranean Sea. Cork is exported from Italy, France, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal; which is the largest cork producing country in the world. |
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How does a tree make cork? |
The thin layer of inner bark called cambium,
that encloses the trunk and limbs of trees, is filled with cells that make
parts of the tree expand in diameter. Cells facing inward are
filled with a binding substance called lignin. When these cells die
and harden, they are wood. Cambium cells facing outward make new
cells whose walls are filled with suberin, an oily chemical compound that
makes them waterproof and also keeps them soft and flexible. When
these cells die they are cork. |
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