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Eucommia ulmoides

Eucommia ulmoides

Hardy rubber tree

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Description

Eucommia ulmoides (Hardy rubber tree) originates in Central and Western China and was found by the English plant collector E.H. Wilson around 1895. The hardy rubber tree is a monotypic genus, meaning that there is only one species. The species naturally grows irregularly, and is more shrub-like than upright, but with the right pruning the strong grower can still reach a height of up to 18 metres with a wide, dense, oval crown that is semi-open when it gets older. Though they are not related, the Eucommia ulmoides species gets its name from various similarities with Ulmus, the elm. 

The hardy rubber tree blooms green, pompom-shaped racemes in April. In the summer, it bears winged, yellow-green nuts, which look a lot like the fruits on the elm. The beautiful glossy, egg-shaped, thick and leathery leaves bud dark green, keeping their colour in summer and turning yellow in autumn. Eucommia ulmoides is the only rubber-producing tree on the northern hemisphere. The rubber is extracted from the leaves: if you tear the leaf, you’ll see threads of white latex keeping the two halves of the leaf together. 

Eucommia ulmoides is winter-hardy and can withstand heat, drought, wind and air pollution. Furthermore, the species is not sensitive to plagues or diseases, making it a great alternative to elms. The hardy rubber tree has few soil requirements, but prefers a sunny environment in moist but permeable soil. Eucommia ulmoides is a great species for parks, but particularly has a lot of potential as a tree on streets, avenues or squares for future green infrastructure projects. 

Types of planting

Tree types

standard trees multi-stemmed trees climate trees shade trees characteristic trees solitary shrubs

Topiary on stem

fval multi-stem umbrella

Use

Location

avenue park central reservation roof garden large garden cemetery traffic areas, industrial zones

Pavement

none none open open

Planting concepts

climate planting prairie planting

Characteristics

Crown shape

wide oval wide oval

Crown structure

dense dense

Height

12 - 18 m

Width

8 - 12 m

Winter hardiness zone

4B - 7B

Aspects

Wind

tolerant to wind

Soil

loess sabulous clay peaty heavy clay light clay sand loamy soil all soils

Nutrient level

rich in nutrients

Soil moisture level

dry moist wet

Light requirements

sun partial shade

pH range

acidic neutral alkaline

Extreme environments

tolerant to dryness tolerates air pollution tolerates heat

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Order this plant? Or would you like further information about Eucommia ulmoides? Make an appointment for a detailed planting recommendation.
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Photos

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high-stem standard tree
Eucommia ulmoides standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Eucommia ulmoides standard tree
high-stem standard tree
Eucommia ulmoides standard tree
multi-stem multi-stem
Eucommia ulmoides multi-stem
multi-stem-umbrella multi-stem umbrella
Eucommia ulmoides multi-stem umbrella
multi-stem-umbrella multi-stem umbrella
Eucommia ulmoides multi-stem umbrella
leaves leaves
Eucommia ulmoides leaves
leaves leaves
Eucommia ulmoides leaves
leaves leaves
Eucommia ulmoides leaves
leaves leaves
Eucommia ulmoides leaves
leaves leaves
Eucommia ulmoides leaves
fruits fruits
Eucommia ulmoides fruits
fruits fruits
Eucommia ulmoides fruits
fruits fruits
Eucommia ulmoides fruits
fruits fruits
Eucommia ulmoides fruits
autumn-leaves autumn leaves
Eucommia ulmoides autumn leaves
autumn-leaves autumn leaves
Eucommia ulmoides autumn leaves
bark bark
Eucommia ulmoides bark
bark bark
Eucommia ulmoides bark
bark bark
Eucommia ulmoides bark
twigs twigs
Eucommia ulmoides twigs

Flowers

Flowers

raceme pompom-shaped discrete

Flower colour

green

Flowering period

April - May

Leaves

Leaf colour

dark green

Leaves

deciduous ovate ovoid thick leathery polished serrate

Autumn colour

yellow

Fruits

Fruit colour

yellow-green

Fruits

striking winged

Bark

Bark colour

pale brown

Bark

furrowed

Twigs

Twig colour

grey-brown

Twigs

with lenticels

Root system

Root system

deep extensive many hair roots

For and by green professionals

The TreeEbb is a platform for and by green professionals, in which we collect knowledge and experience from the sector and make this available for users. All the details and photos are free to use for non-commercial purposes. Want to share your tree knowledge? Send photographs and additional information to treeebb@ebben.nl

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Soil
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Extreme environments
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Winter hardiness

A plant's winter hardiness is the coldest area in which it is frost-resistant. This is based on the average annual minimum temperature. Winter hardiness zones are thirteen different frost zones in steps of 5.5 degrees Celsius. This format is an international standard for the hardiness of plants. The zones in which the plant is frost-resistant are always included in the description of trees and other vegetation.

Winter hardiness is a genetic characteristic and is not influenced by the location in which the plant is cultivated. This means that a plant that has been cultivated for many years in winter-hardiness zone 6 but has a winter hardiness of 3 is perfectly suited for replanting in a colder zone. It will thrive there thanks to its genetic characteristics.

When choosing planting for a project, the winter hardiness of the plants is extremely important. By choosing species that match the zone in which the project is being created, it is possible to ensure that plants can withstand the minimum temperature in that area.

Winter hardiness map
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