Practical
Plants

Entelea arborescens

Corkwood Tree

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Entelea genus in the family Tiliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Tiliaceae
Genus
Entelea
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Height
6 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Wood - one of the lightest known, it is half the weight of cork. Used for floats, rafts etc[1][6][7].

Product or use
Wood

Environment

Range
New Zealand.
Habitat
Coastal to lowland forest, south to latitude 41°south[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse at 20°c. Quick and easy germination[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first two winters in a greenhouse. Plant out in early summer after the last expected frosts and give the plants some winter protection for their first couple of years[K]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. The cuttings root quickly and easily[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any moderately fertile loamy soil in a sunny position[3]. This species is not very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -3°c[4]. It usually requires cool greenhouse treatment in Britain[1]. Plants can succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country[2][3]. They get frosted back to the ground most years when growing in pots in a polytunnel on our Cornish trial grounds, though they resprout freely from the base[K].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

    ↩

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  4. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5

    ↩

  5. Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00

    ↩

  6. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  7. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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