ABSTRACT

Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. (E. ulmoides, also called Du Zhong in China) is a unique pharmaceutical plant species mainly distributed in central and eastern China, which is the only member in the only genus of the Eucommiaceae family (Hung et al., 2006; Sogo and Tobe, 2006; Vincent, 2002). It is a dioecious deciduous tree distributed in an elevation range of 600-2500 m and can grow as high as 20 m (Ma and Su, 2007; Nakazawa et  al., 2009). E. ulmoides has oval or ovoid jagged leaves that are thinly leathery, with average length of 6-15 cm and average width of 3.5-6.5 cm. Its ower is born at the base of annual shoots. E. ulmoides has oblong, at samaras with hard seeds in central and the samaras ripe in autumn. Both the leaf and the seed contain brous rubber, as shown in Figure 34.1. E. ulmoides gets its name ‘hardy rubber tree’ for this reason. The timber is white and glossy, and the wood is dense, with air-dry density of 0.762 g/cm3; thus, E. ulmoides wood is

34.1 Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Resource and Distribution ................................................................................................... 479 34.1.1 Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Resource and Historical Evolution ........................................................................ 479 34.1.2 Current Situation of E. ulmoides Resource ...................................................................................................... 480

34.2 Traditional Utilizations of E. ulmoides.......................................................................................................................... 480 34.2.1 Pharmaceutical Utilization ............................................................................................................................... 480 34.2.2 Modernization of E. ulmoides’ Pharmaceutical Utilization ............................................................................ 482

34.3 Distribution and Utilization of E. ulmoides Rubber ...................................................................................................... 482 34.3.1 Features of E. ulmoides Rubber ....................................................................................................................... 482 34.3.2 Extraction Technologies of EU-Rubber............................................................................................................ 483 34.3.3 Modication Technology and Utilization of EU-Rubber ................................................................................. 484

34.4 Renery of E. ulmoides-Analysis of Renery Cost and Technology ......................................................................... 484 34.4.1 Current Situation and Existing Problems of E. ulmoides Utilizations............................................................. 484 34.4.2 Renery of E. ulmoides-A Potential Technical Route for Industrialization ................................................. 485

34.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................... 487 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................... 487 References ................................................................................................................................................................................. 487

regarded as the rst-rank material for manufacturing of furniture, vehicles and various crafts (Du et al., 2013). Meanwhile, E. ulmoides has a dense, round, symmetrical crown, which makes it the appropriate species as an ornament tree and for shade (Ma and Su, 2007). For  instance,  E.  ulmoides trees are  introduced in many gardens and campuses in Beijing as ornament species with good reection.