Bark (botany) rope, used for example in the rigging of Viking age longships. Among the commercial products made from bark are cork, cinnamon, quinine (from the bark of Cinchona) and aspirin (from the bark of willow trees). The bark of some trees notably oak ("Quercus robur") is a source of tannic acid, which is used in tanning. Bark chips generated as a by-product of lumber production are often used in bark mulch in western North America. Bark is important to the horticultural industry since in shredded form it is used for plants that do not thrive in ordinary soil, such as epiphytes.
Son of the Tree Son of the Tree Son of the Tree is a science fiction novella by Jack Vance. It was first published in "Thrilling Wonder Stories" magazine, June 1951, and in book form as half of an Ace Double in 1964 together with "The Houses of Iszm". The version that appears in the Ace Double is still less than novel length at about 31,000 words, but is essentially the same as the original magazine version. "Son of the Tree" was re-published as a stand-alone volume in 1974 by Mayflower. One of Vance's earliest efforts, and part science fiction, part espionage story, protagonist