What Is Bark

The bark of a tree is the outer covering of its trunk and branches

. Bark protects a tree in the same way that skin protects an animal. It keep the softer, more tender parts from being harmed. Bark is made up of an outer layer called the cork, and live inner tissue called phloem, through which food is carried to all parts of the tree. This food consists of the dissolved minerals or chemicals that t'.ie roots have sucked up from the soil. The fibers in the inner bark are called hir;.

In some countries a kind of cloth is made from the soft bast of certain trees and is called bark cloth. Trees like the fig, breadfruit, and paper mulberry supply the best bast for bark cloth. The bast of these trees is cut into narrow strips and soaked in water for a long time and then pounded with a wooden mallet that has grooves in it. The bast is soaked and beaten many times until the fibers of the bark become thin and very soft, and mat together. The bark cloth is used for clothing, draperies, and bedding.

The bark of trees like the acacia, chestnut, and oak yields tannic acid, which is used in the tanning or preservation of leather. Cinnamon, a spice used as a flavoring, is obtained from the bast of a small evergreen tree of the laurel family, found in Ceylon, Brazil, and other tropical countries. Quinine, a valuable drug that cures malaria, is obtained from the bark of cinchona trees that grow in' South American countries. Many other useful medicines and dyes for coloring cloth are obtained from the bark of trees. The American Indians of the northeastern United States once made light, strong canoes from the bark of certain birch trees. The bark of the cork tree, which grows mostly in Spain and Portugal, is very light and spongy. It is used for bottle stoppers (corks), life preservers, and many other things.

by: David Bunch

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