Eucommia (Eucommia ulmoides) is a small tree native to China. It is extinct in the wild, but is widely cultivated in China for its bark, highly valued in herbology (traditional Chinese medicine). It is the sole member of the family Eucommiaceae, and was formerly considered to be a separate order, the Eucommiales. It is called dùzhòng (杜仲) in Chinese.
Eucommia grows to about 15 m tall. The leaves are deciduous, arranged alternately, simple ovate with an acuminate tip, 8–16 cm long, and with a serrated margin. If a leaf is torn across, strands of latex exuded from the leaf veins solidify into rubber and hold the two parts of the leaf together. The flowers are inconspicuous, small and greenish; the fruit is a winged samara with one seed, very similar to an elm samara in appearance, 2–3 cm long and 1–2 cm broad.
Eucommia is also occasionally planted in botanical gardens and other gardens in Europe, North America and elsewhere, being of interest as the only cold-tolerant (to at least -30°C) rubber-producing tree.
Biophysical Society names 2009 award recipients Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400 (Biophysical Society) The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2009 Society awards. The eight recipients will receive their awards at the Society's 53rd Annual Meeting on Monday, March 2, 2009, at the Boston Convention and Exhibitions Center in Massachusetts. Iowa State wins $18.5M grant to create NSF Center for Biorenewable Chemicals Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400 (Iowa State University) The National Science Foundation has awarded Iowa State University and its research partners an $18.5 million grant to establish an NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals based at Iowa State. The center's focus will be to develop catalysts that promote the chemical reactions that can efficiently produce biorenewable chemicals. The center is also expected to create partnerships that promote innovation, transform engineered systems and produce engineering graduates who can contribute in a global economy. INCF organizes the first congress dedicated to the emerging field of neuroinformatics Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400 (INCF - International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility) The first INCF Congress of Neuroinformatics will convene Sept. 7-9 at the Stockholm City Conference Center in Stockholm. The emerging neuroinformatics field combines neuroscience and informatics research to develop advanced tools and approaches to understanding the structure and function of the brain. The tools may also be applied to brain disorders and diseases. With a broad international outreach, the meeting will bring together experts from all disciplines contributing to neuroinformatics.