Information on rubber tree plants home guides sf gate. During the age of exploration many people were sent out to seek unknown plant species. General description of the crop rubber tree is a tropical south american tree widely cultivated throughout the tropics and yielding a milky juice that is a major source of commercial rubber. The knowledge of floral ontogeny in plant species is. It develops numerous descending aerial roots to form a banyan. Add 10 kg commercial magnesium sulphate for every 100 kg of the above mixture if there is magnesium deficiency.
A 30year old cultivated rubber tree is about 30 m tall with an average branchfree bole of 3 m. This is valuable and useful information that can help you to learn more about the rubber tree. The plant is native to southeast asia and is commonly grown as a hardy indoor pot plant elsewhere. The rubber trees can be tapped for latex only after about six years of growth. Rubber tree plants ficus elastica are grown all over the world as houseplants. Our information will help you to understand how to care for a rubber plant correctly. Very cold hardy, this crab has performed well in the north and intermountain regions.
Increasing demand for rubber is catastrophic for endangered species. Rubberwood, the success of an agricultural byproduct. This littleknown but urbantough, very attractive, 40 to 60foothigh, slowgrowing, deciduous tree has a dense, symmetrical oval. Rubber trees, how to grow, maintain and care for rubber. The saplings are transplanted to a plantation, where they grow for about 6 years. Also some other letter can create a part of abbreviation, and these closer characterize appropriate rubber, e. Indoor gardening rubber tree plant ficus elastica care the rubber tree plant is a fantastic indoor houseplant and is pretty easy to take care of. Development, flowering, gene expression, leafy, plant reproduction, rubber tree. Rubber trees, formally ficus elastica, can be enjoyed as either mediumsized house plants or grown to become focal point, beautiful indoor trees. The diameter at breast height dbh may reach about 30 cm. Natural rubber latex is shipped from factories in southeast asia, south america, and west and center africa to destinations around the world. Rubber plant ficus elastica complete care and growing guide. It can be argued that the above figures include older trees producing a lower than the new trees.
In order to promote new leaves on a current rubber tree houseplant, cut a slit in the node where a leaf fell off. The rubber tree has a silvery type of bark and a rough top layer of bark. Repotting my rubber tree i recently was given a rubber tree that had been a staple at the lobby of my work. Originally, rubber was produced from the latex of ficus elestica, a type of fig tree. It can grow to 50 feet with an enormous canopy of draping, footlong oval leaves. Sep 15, 2012 in the wild, the rubber tree will grow to heights of 100 to feet, and can live up to 100 years. There are several kinds of plants that can produce rubber. The rubber tree or plant ficus elastica decora is a favorite houseplant with large, thick, glossy green leaves. The amazon rainforest alone provides a habitat for over 40,000 plant species the hot, humid climate of the worlds tropical regions provide ideal conditions for plant life. Tapping means to make a cut in the bark of the rubber tree to harvest the latex. Browse pictures and read growth cultivation information about rubber tree ficus elastica burgundy supplied by member gardeners in the plantfiles database at dave s garden. Ficus elastica is part of the family moraceae, which include figs and mulberries. Malaysia is the leading producer of natural rubber in the world. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
Find rubber tree stock images in hd and millions of other royaltyfree stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the shutterstock collection. You can grow outdoor rubber plants if you live in zone. Known for their glossy evergreen foliage, rubber trees ficus elastica serve well as houseplants and outdoor ornamentals in frostfree areas. The rubber plant, ficus elastica or ficus robusta, is a hardy accommodating low maintenance houseplant, it also goes by rubber tree or rubber fig. Ficus elastica rubber plant guide our house plants. You can propagate a new rubber tree plant from a cutting. Facts about the rubber tree description and uses hubpages. Rubber trees are tapped by removing slivers of bark, which allows the latex to flow out of the tree into receptacles attached to the tree. Found in many products from tires to toys, natural rubber is made from the milky sap of the rubber tree. The rubber plantation in malaysia was started in malaysia in 1877. There isnt that much problems in caring for rubber plants.
Assessment of growth and yield performance of rubber tree. The places the rubber tree grows in is brazil, venezuela, ecuador, colombia, peru, and bolivia. Here is some detailed information on christmas trees. Able to adapt to and endure lower light conditions and generally poor treatment, the rubber tree is a winner indoors. Annual fertilizations consisted of 400 g per plant of. This alphabetical list of common tree names are organized by genus, then species, subspecies, and variety. It is native to the forests of western asia and in its native setting, it reaches 100 feet high. The mahogany tree swietenia mahagnoni is such a lovely shade tree that its too bad it can only grow in usda zones 10 and 11. It is the most economically important member of the genus hevea because the milky latex extracted from the tree is the primary source of natural rubber. They typically reach 2030 metres in height on rubber plantations, and are able to produce commercial quantities of latex at about 7 years of age, depending on climate and location. Types of polyisoprene that are used as natural rubbers are classified as elastomers. And although rubber for tires does grow on trees, in a manner of speaking, meeting the. Thousands of new, highquality pictures added every day. Rubber tree, hevea brasiliensis, south american tropical tree of the spurge family euphorbiaceae.
How to propagate a rubber tree plant from a cutting hunker. The constantly tapped portions of the stem may develop, with age, a latexsmeared cortex. Rubber plantation in malaysia cultivation, area of. Top 10 questions about rubber tree plants gardening know. Cultivated on plantations in the tropics and subtropics, especially in southeast asia and western africa, it replaced the rubber plant in the early 20th century as the chief source of natural rubber. If youre patient enough to grow your own, plants that start out younger when you buy them adapt better to indoor living than starting with a more mature plant. Rubber trees will grow well in most homes with just a little care, but they can get fairly large. Like most rubber band manufacturers, alliance rubber company obtains its natural rubber from the southeast asian countries of malaysia, thailand, vietnam, and indonesia. The trees are then removed and replaced with new seedlings. A classic houseplant, the rubber tree plant ficus elastica grows up to 100 feet tall when grown outdoors. Here is some general information on the rubber tree. This is important because the bark helps make the latex. May 02, 2019 if you are lucky enough to obtain some seeds from the ficus elastica plant, you may wish to try to grow a rubber tree from them.
Capes agropolis fondation 20122014 qtl mapping of growthrelated traits in two fullsib family of rubber tree, gt1 x rrim701 and gt1 x pb235 evaluated in a subtropical area. Rubber tree plants are generally quite diseasefree when grown indoors, although root rot, which is indicated by yellowing leaves, might occur if soil. Department of agriculture hardiness zones 10b and 11. In the past, felled rubber trees were either burnt on the spot or used as fuel for locomotive engines, brick burning or latex curing. India rubber plant, large tree of the family moraceae, once an important source of an inferior natural rubber. Its coarse texture makes a strong statement in the landscape. While making a study of nurturing rubber tree plants, there are certain hints to be observed. Our simple to use ui and hassle free, fully hosted software allows our customers to concentrate on their day to day business, not maintaining another software system. Natural rubber exists as latex, a milky white sap, which is a colloidal suspension of rubber particles in liquid form.
The trees were opened for tapping at the sixth year. Even though rubber was their main income, their economy, social class, and governments took a negative impact. Before we see how to make the tapping, let us look back at what we learned. Rubber tree production guide bureau of plant industry. Most people dont even know a rubber plant produces flowers, never mind seed. Other plants that have the special sap called latex are figs ficus elastica, castilla panama rubber tree, euphorbias, lettuce, the common dandelion, taraxacum koksaghyz russian dandelion, scorzonera tausaghyz, and guayule. The country with the most devastating impact was the congo free state. Oct 27, 2016 but we think its time to give this understated but stately tree with its large, deep green leaves a second look and another chance. Hevea brasiliensis is the tree that most rubber comes from. Rubber tree pictures, detailed information on rubber trees.
It was largely replaced as a source of rubber by the unrelated rubber tree. Of all of these trees, the best rubber producing tree is h. As a domesticated houseplant, rubber plants grow anywhere between six to ten feet tall. Native to india and malaysia, elastica is among the oldest plants used as houseplants worldwide. Harvesting latex from rubber trees starts with scoring or cutting into the bark of the tree. Matured rubber trees under tapping for matured rubber trees under tapping apply npk 10.
Rubber tree is robust, perennial crop scientifically known as hevea brasiliensis muell. This allows searches for the genus name of a tree example apple malus so if you dont know the species name of apple tree, you can locate it using the genus name and looking through the species names with tree descriptions and pictures. However, hevea brasiliensis is the most commercially cultivated rubber plant. Im getting a ficus elastica ruby for my bedroom because why. Rubber tree definition is a tree that yields rubber. The large, thick leaves are dark green, sometimes with a bronze or reddish tint when young. Oesbr is oil extended styrenebutadiene rubber, lsbr means styrenebutadiene rubber produced by. These trees are grown on tree farms and then cut to be sold as christmas trees in late november.
Rubber tree high throughput snp discovery for the improvement of marker assisted selection efficiency. You will also find a lot of wonderful information on rubber trees, including information about the rubber tree species, planting information, and much more. This document is enh411, one of a series of the environmental horticulture department, ufifas extension. Tree seedlings are placed in pots until firmly established. Rubber tree definition, any tree that yields latex from which rubber is produced, especially hevea brasiliensis, of the spurge family, native to south america, the chief commercial source of rubber. Rubber tree definition of rubber tree by merriamwebster. Mar 03, 2020 rubber tree, south american tropical tree of the spurge family euphorbiaceae. Long term effect of ethephon on the yield of rubber trees is linked to. Indian rubber tree an evergreen, medium or large tree of the moist tropical forests, it is hardy and fast growing, up to 30m in height.
Ficus elastica more commonly known as a rubber plant, rubber tree or rubber tree plant is a popular houseplant because of its waxy leaves and largerthanlife appearance. Furniture, cabinetry, interior millwork, kitchen woodenware cutting boards, knife blocks, etc. This tree guide is a wealth of information on height and spread, soil and sun requirements, leaves, history, wildlife habitat and more. Rubber tree plants are very susceptible to changes in environment, such as moving the plant from a warm to a cool room. When your new leaves are emerging, even less light is advisable, as this will promote larger leaves. Rubber tree hevea brasiliensis rainforest alliance. To view each rubber tree picture in full size just click on the pictures. If you plan using rubberwood or better say, hevea in europe, you wouldnt sell anything.
Growing requirements for rubber trees rubber plants like bright light, but never hot sun. Once you know how to care for a rubber tree plant and it is growing well, you can begin the propagation of indoor rubber tree plants. For more information about mahogany trees and mahogany. Malus parrsi pink princess crabapple a pink flowered, red leaf form of sargent crab. May 07, 2017 in the hopes of making it a little easier when it comes to growing plants, gardening know how tries to provide the best information possible so your garden will flourish and that includes answering commonly asked questions that pop up along the way. Find rubber tree plantation stock images in hd and millions of other royaltyfree stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the shutterstock collection. Rubber plant care my plant is getting too tall for its space. Sep 21, 2017 rubber tree is a common name for ficus elastica. Although its native to asia, it will grow outdoors in the warm climates of u. The leaves rubber plant leaves are thick, big and shining. Whether youre deciding on a tree to plant in your yard or looking for more information about one you already have, youve come to the right place.
Rubber tree is a multistemmed evergreen tree with a more or less rounded form. These attractive, fragrant trees form rounded, symmetrical crowns and make excellent shade trees. African rubber boomed from 1890 to 19, and was the greatest income earner for african countries. Rubber simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Rubber tree plants you can grow indoors home guides sf. Ficus elastica, also known as a rubber plant, is an oddlooking plant from the tropics of southeast asia with huge, soft leaves and an exotic name. Rubberwood the wood database lumber identification. Root system of a plant is the site of water and nutrients uptake. Rubber tree plants grow 25 to 40 feet tall in most residential landscapes. But if you look over the 9 year period yields have remained relativley constant and during this time new trees must have come into production and old ones removed. Heres how to maintain a rubber plant as a striking part of your home decor for years to come.
Other plants that have the special sap called latex are figs ficus elastica, castilla panama rubber tree, euphorbias, lettuce, the common dandelion, taraxacum koksaghyz russian dandelion, scorzonera tausaghyz, and guayule in the 1800s, most sap to make rubber came from south america. Also known as rubber shrub or india rubber fig, rubber tree ficus elastica is an evergreen shrub or tree with thick, leathery leaves that may be up to 12 inches long and 5 inches wide. The rubber tree can only thrive in hot, damp regions near the equator, so 90% of true rubber production today occurs in these areas. Introduction rubber hevea brasiliensis is an important tree. Why is rubberwood furniture considered good quality.
Basically rubber is an elastic solid material retrieved from latex of many tropical trees. Increasing demand for rubber is catastrophic for endangered. Rubber tree has a proven track record with our technology, history, and most importantly, our development and support staff. If you are lucky enough to obtain some seeds from the ficus elastica plant, you may wish to try to grow a rubber tree from them. In cooler climates, people frequently grow the rubber tree plant. The latex is white in color and is thick in consistency. It takes about six years for a rubber tree to grow to a point where its economical to harvest the sap, which is called latex. Able to reach 100 feet in height in its native habitat in the jungle but most often seen at about 35 to 45 feet in the landscape, rubber tree is useful as a screen, shade, patio, or specimen tree. Latex flows into a cup attached to the bottom of the cut in the tree. Thailand and indonesia are two of the leading rubber producers. The worlds tropical rainforests are home to an incredible number of plants. First, the seedlings were brought from the amazon basin, and were planted here on a experimental basis.
The collector makes a thin, diagonal cut to remove a sliver of bark. They thrive outdoors in their native tropical climate, where they grow as shade trees. Watson2 introduction if you want green leaves on a tree during a severe drought, this is your tree. The rubber plant tree can grow up to 10 feet in height with 8inch long leaves. About 46% of the total worlds rubber is produced in malaysia. The ideal rubberproducing crop would be fast growing plant species that can grow in any type of land across the world. Use as a street tree is limited by the tree s tendency to break apart in strong winds. Natural rubber, also called by other names of india rubber, latex, amazonian rubber, caucho or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds, plus water. One kind, the india rubber plant, is a common houseplant. That means that if you want to see a mahogany tree in the united states, youll need to head to southern florida. Information on the nutrient contents of rubber wood compartments, especially at the clearcut.
Trees that are generally used as christmas trees are evergreen conifers such as pine, fir, or spruce. A naturally dwarf tree with all the desirable features of sargent, but in a. In the wild, the rubber tree will grow to heights of 100 to feet, and can live up to 100 years. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Rubberwood lumber is typically taken from rubber plantations where the trees are tapped for latex, and harvested at the end of their useful life cycletypically after about thirty years. The rubber plant is an amazing indoor houseplant and is simple to care for. The natural rubber manufacturing process begins with harvesting latex from rubber trees. As the cost of natural rubber has risen significantly and rubber products are dense, the shipping methods offering the lowest cost per unit weight are preferred. Apr 20, 2015 increasing demand for rubber is catastrophic for endangered species. Sep 29, 2009 the rubber tree plant, ficus elastica, has a stiff, tree like stem with dark green and burgundy tinted ovalshaped leaves. The leaves feel thicker than other house plant leaves and look shiny.
Natural rubber comes from the havea brasiliensis tree, which grows in tropical regions. Learn exactly how to grow ficus elastica in this indepth guide. Rubber plants can grow up to 100 feet in their native homeland of southeast asia. Rubber tree plants you can grow indoors home guides sf gate. The rubber tree plant is a fantastic indoor houseplant and is pretty easy to take care of. If you have the natural light and space for this plant to grow, then heres the indoor tree for you. The rubber tree oxford academic journals oxford university press. Rubber tree plant adaptation to abiotic stress ciba.