Tree bark tissue harvested for commercial use

Cork (material)

Cork (material)

Cork is an <a href="/en/Permeability_(earth_sciences)" title="Permeability (earth sciences)" class="mw-redirect wl">impermeable</a> <a href="/en/Buoyancy" title="Buoyancy" class="wl">buoyant</a> material, the <a href="/en/Cork_cambium" title="Cork cambium" class="wl">phellem layer</a> of <a href="/en/Bark_(botany)" title="Bark (botany)" class="wl">bark</a> tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from <a href="/en/Quercus_suber" title="Quercus suber" class="wl">Quercus suber</a> (the cork oak), which is native to southwest <a href="/en/Europe" title="Europe" class="wl">Europe</a> and northwest <a href="/en/Africa" title="Africa" class="wl">Africa</a>. Cork is composed of <a href="/en/Suberin" title="Suberin" class="wl">suberin</a>, a <a href="/en/Hydrophobic" title="Hydrophobic" class="mw-redirect wl">hydrophobic</a> substance. Because of its impermeable, buoyant, elastic, and fire retardant properties, it is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is <a href="/en/Wine_stopper" title="Wine stopper" class="mw-redirect wl">wine stoppers</a>. The <a href="/en/Dehesa_(pastoral_management)" title="Dehesa (pastoral management)" class="mw-redirect wl">montado</a> landscape of <a href="/en/Portugal" title="Portugal" class="wl">Portugal</a> produces approximately half of the cork harvested annually worldwide, with <a href="/en/Corticeira_Amorim" title="Corticeira Amorim" class="wl">Corticeira Amorim</a> being the leading company in the industry.<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a> Cork was examined <a href="/en/Microscopically" title="Microscopically" class="mw-redirect wl">microscopically</a> by <a href="/en/Robert_Hooke" title="Robert Hooke" class="wl">Robert Hooke</a>, which led to his discovery and naming of the <a href="/en/Cell_(biology)" title="Cell (biology)" class="wl">cell</a>.<a href="#cite_note-urlRobert_Hooke-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Tree bark tissue harvested for commercial use</div>
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<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Cork.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Cork.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Cork.jpg/220px-Cork.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="3456" data-file-height="2304" data-file-type="bitmap" height="147" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Cork.jpg/330px-Cork.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Cork.jpg/440px-Cork.jpg 2x" alt="Cork.jpg"></a><figcaption>Untreated cork panel</figcaption></figure>

Cork composition varies depending on <a href="/en/Geography" title="Geography" class="wl">geographic</a> origin, <a href="/en/Climate" title="Climate" class="wl">climate</a> and <a href="/en/Soil" title="Soil" class="wl">soil</a> conditions, <a href="/en/Genetics" title="Genetics" class="wl">genetic</a> origin, tree dimensions, age (virgin or reproduction), and growth conditions. However, in general, cork is made up of <a href="/en/Suberin" title="Suberin" class="wl">suberin</a> (average of about 40%), <a href="/en/Lignin" title="Lignin" class="wl">lignin</a> (22%), <a href="/en/Polysaccharide" title="Polysaccharide" class="wl">polysaccharides</a> (<a href="/en/Cellulose" title="Cellulose" class="wl">cellulose</a> and <a href="/en/Hemicellulose" title="Hemicellulose" class="wl">hemicellulose</a>) (18%), extractables (15%) and others.<a href="#cite_note-Duarte_2015-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a>

Cork is an impermeable buoyant material, the phellem layer of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance. Because of its impermeable, buoyant, elastic, and fire retardant properties, it is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is wine stoppers. The montado landscape of Portugal produces approximately half of the cork harvested annually worldwide, with Corticeira Amorim being the leading company in the industry. Cork composition varies depending on geographic origin, climate and soil conditions, genetic origin, tree dimensions, age , and growth conditions. However, in general, cork is made up of suberin , lignin , polysaccharides  , extractables and others. 