![]() Ornamental hybrids (such as Robusta) have been derived from Ficus elastica with broader, stiffer and more upright leaves than the wild form. It has a high tolerance for drought, but prefers humidity and thrives in wet, tropical conditions. In cultivation, it prefers bright sunlight but not hot temperatures. This can be done by cuttings or by layering.Īll parts of the plant contain an abundant milky white latex, which has been tested for use in the manufacture of rubber, but without economic and technical results commercial rubber is in fact produced from the sap of Hevea brasiliensis. Most cultivated plants are produced by vegetative propagation. Although it is grown in Hawaii, the species of fig wasp required to allow it to spread naturally is not present there. ( November 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įicus elastica is grown around the world as an ornamental plant, outside in frost-free climates (though it also tolerates light frosts) from the tropical to the Mediterranean and inside in colder climates as a houseplant. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. In Europe, it can be found in mild locations throughout the Mediterranean Basin. ![]() It has been widely introduced in most tropical regions of the world, including Hawaii and the West Indies. elastica extends from Nepal in the north to Indonesia, Bhutan, Northeastern India, Myanmar, Yunnan in China, and Malaysia. ![]() The fruit is a small yellow-green oval fig 1 cm ( 1⁄ 2 in) long, barely edible these are fake fruits that contain fertile seeds only in areas where the pollinating insect is present. Because of this relationship, the rubber plant does not produce highly colourful or fragrant flowers to attract other pollinators. Inside the new leaf, another immature leaf is waiting to develop.Īs with other members of the genus Ficus, the flowers require a particular species of fig wasp to pollinate it in a co-evolved relationship. When it is mature, it unfurls and the sheath drops off the plant. The leaves develop inside a sheath at the apical meristem, which grows larger as the new leaf develops. It has broad shiny oval leaves 10–35 cm (4–14 in) long and 5–15 cm (2–6 in) broad leaf size is largest on young plants (occasionally to 45 cm or 17 + 1⁄ 2 in long), much smaller on old trees (typically 10 cm or 4 in long). The trunk develops aerial and buttressing roots to anchor it in the soil and help support heavy branches. It is a large tree in the banyan group of figs, growing to 30–40 m (100–130 ft) – rarely up to 60 m or 195 ft – tall, with a stout trunk up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in diameter. Despite its common names, it is not used in the commercial production of natural rubber. It has become naturalized in Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and the US state of Florida. ![]() ex Hornem.) Gasp.įicus elastica, the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. Ficus cordata Kunth & C.D.Bouché 1846 not Thunb. ![]()
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