A genus of deciduous trees native to China, best known for producing natural rubber and having medicinal properties valued in traditional Chinese medicine.
From Greek 'eu' (well) + 'kommi' (gum), referring to the gummy or rubbery exudations. Named scientifically in the 18th century by botanists studying Chinese flora with distinctive latex properties.
Eucommia trees can produce actual rubber even though they're from an entirely different plant family than Amazonian rubber trees—they're an example of how nature independently 'invented' similar solutions to the same biological problem, and China cultivated them as an alternative rubber source for centuries.
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