With SEM,we observed and analyzed the microstructure of cork samples from thin and thick types of Quercus variabilis located in sunny slope of North Slopes Qinling Mountains where the core distribution area of this species was.Results show:(1)The cells of two types of cork have the typical features of cork tissues with a regular and radially aligned structure of suberized cells without intercellular void.In the tangential section,cork cells were seen as polygons in a honeycomb-like arrangement,while the radial and transverse section shown a brick wall-like structure.In the radial section,cork cells arrayed along a line which was vertical to the tree axial direction.In transverse section,cork cells arrayed along a radial which emitted by the center of the tree axial direction.(2)It was found that the thick type cork have thinner cell wall and larger cell volume than that of thin type cork.(3)Compared to Quercus suber,the cork quality of thick type of Q.variabilis were a few bad.(4)There were corrugations on the prism height of cell walls,especially during the growth ring and the lignified phellem cells.There were more corrugations during thick type rather than thin types.(5)The result shown that the cork of thick type of Q.variabilis was better than thin types.It was suggested that more attention should be paid to exploitation of cork resources of thick type in the future.