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Cork is a lightweight, spongy material that comes from the bark of cork oak trees. It's useful because it's naturally water-resistant, compressible, and has many practical applications, from wine bottle stoppers to insulation and flooring.
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Untreated cork panel
Cork is an impermeable buoyant material. It is the phellem layer of bark tissue which is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the cork oak), which is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance. Because of its impermeable, buoyant, elastic, and fire retardant properties, it is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is wine stoppers.