Wikipedia states: It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, Phellodendron has also attracted the attention of the pharmaceutical community because of the phytochemicals it produces. Berberine has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Jactorrhizine may be anti-mutagenic. Phellodendrine has promise as an immunesuppressant. Palmatine may be a vasodilator. The phytochemical descriptions are included for informational purposes only and not for treatment purposes. The research at this stage is very preliminary. Traditionally, the bark is the principal part of the plant used medicinally, although oil from the fruit is also used. The species grows in Northern China, and in the Khabarovsk and Primorskiy regions of Russia. Already identified as a significant forest invader in the mid-Atlantic region, Phellodendron amurense is an emerging species of concern in New England, and is identified as invasive or having invasive tendencies by state and private conservation authorities. Because the fruit is plentiful and high in sugars, Amur cork-tree attracts birds and mammals which help disperse its seeds. Because of its phytochemical profile and because the seedlings grow thickly, Phellodendron can out-compete other species. By suppressing reproduction of native hardwoods, Amur cork-tree can come to dominate native forests under favorable conditions. As a relatively new species of concern, its invasion biology and response to control is not well understood.

Dark green compound leaves 10-15" long; in habit, usually broader than tall when mature and grown in the open, with a few massive spreading branches; nice furrowed corky or ashlike bark on old trees, gray brown; good landscape tree for large open spaces; native to Manchuria, Japan