Cork (source code)
= Cork
<Cork>, or phellem, is a protective <plant> <tissue> produced by the <cork cambium>. Mature <cork> consists largely of dead <biological cells> whose <cell walls> contain <suberin>, a material that limits passage of <water>. <Cork> forms part of the outer protective covering of mature <plant stems> and the <root (botany)>; it is not a name for every component of <bark>.
Commercial <cork> comes from the especially thick outer <bark> of <Quercus suber>. Comparing actively forming <cork> with other <plant tissues> connects its useful barrier properties to <gene expression> involved in <suberin> production. Such comparisons have identified candidate pathways in <cork> differentiation rather than treating the material simply as inert packing.<A Genomic Approach to Suberin Biosynthesis and Cork Differentiation by Marçal Soler and others>[Plant Physiology 144, pp. 419–431; cork tissue and expression comparisons]{ref}
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