Quercus suber, the cork oak, is an evergreen tree native to the western Mediterranean region. Its thick bark supplies commercial cork, which can be harvested repeatedly when the living layers needed for regeneration are preserved.[ref]
Quercus suber in Plants of the World Online. General information: description, distribution and cork harvesting
Cork consists of protective tissue whose cell walls contain suberin, a material that limits water loss. This makes Quercus suber a useful system for investigating how a plant builds an external barrier. Comparing gene expression in developing cork with expression in xylem identified candidate genes associated with suberin synthesis and tissue differentiation.[ref]
A Genomic Approach to Suberin Biosynthesis and Cork Differentiation by Marçal Soler and others. 2007, abstract: cork versus wood comparison
The commercial material is therefore also a tractable product of a specific developmental programme. Articles by others on the same topic
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