Phellodendron amurense — Amur corktree
![Flowers: Phellodendron amurense. ~ By Polly Ryan-Lane. ~ Copyright © 2024 Polly Ryan-Lane, Courtesy of Smith College, Michael Marcotrigiano [mmarcot[at]smith.edu]. ~ Michael Marcotrigiano, mmarcotr[at]smith.edu ~ The Botanic Garden of Smith College - www.smith.edu/garden/home.html](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rutaceae/phellodendron-amurense-fl-pryanlane1.jpg)
![Fruits: Phellodendron amurense. ~ By John Lynch. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Rutaceae/phellodendron-amurense-fr-jlynch.jpg)
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Facts
Amur corktree is a member of the citrus family (Rutaceae) that hails from Korea, northern China (the Amur River near Siberia), and Japan. Like many members of this family, its leaves and fruits give off a strong odor. Its corky bark gives it its common name. Large specimens of this striking tree often produce long, stout lower branches. It can escape domestic plantings, and has naturalized in some rich deciduous forests in New England and elsewhere.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), forest edges, forests
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is compound (i.e., made up of two or more discrete leaflets
- Leaves per node
- there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 254–381 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- purple
- red
- Bud scale number
- there are no scales on the winter buds
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there are no scales on the winter buds
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
-
Flowers
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower petal color
- yellow or green
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a panicle (branched with the individual flowers on stalks)
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Stamen number
-
- 5
- 6
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- black
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a drupe (fleshy, with a firm inner ovary wall that encloses a single seed)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
-
Leaves
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade flatness
- the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- at least some of the hairs on the leaf blade have glands at their tips
- the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
- Leaf blade length
- 254–381 mm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- the leaf blade has translucent dots on it
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf teeth
- the leaf blade margin is crenate (with rounded teeth) or crenulate (with tiny, rounded teeth)
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is compound (i.e., made up of two or more discrete leaflets
- Leaves per node
- there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaf is compound, with a single terminal leaflet and more than two additional leaflets
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- forests
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
- Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- purple
- red
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Phellodendron amurense Rupr. E
Amur corktree. Phellodendron amurense Rupr. var. sachalinense F. Schmidt; P. japonicum Maxim.; P. sachalinense (F. Schmidt) Sarg. • CT, MA, NH, RI. Forests, forest fragments, roadsides. Phellodendron amurense is interpreted in the broad sense based on work by Ma et al. (2006) who showed that several morphological characters deemed to be of importance to past researchers were continuous and did not discriminate taxa.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Zanthoxylum americanum:
- leaves alternate, branches armed with prickles, and fruit a fleshy follicle (vs. P. amurense, with leaves opposite, branches unarmed, and fruit a drupe).
Synonyms
- Phellodendron amurense Rupr. var. sachalinense F. Schmidt
- Phellodendron japonicum Maxim.
- Phellodendron sachalinense (F. Schmidt) Sarg.