Team 1: Label (Rubber Tree- Ficus Elastica )

Scientific Name: Ficus Elastica

Common Name: Indian Rubber Tree

Height: 30 to 45 feet

Crown Shape: Oval

ficus elasticaficus elastica rubber

An evergreen, medium or large tree of the moist tropical forests, it is hardy and fast growing, up to 30 m in height. It develops numerous descending aerial roots to form a banyan. The Indian Rubber is a type of fig tree. It can be distinguished from other fig trees by its young leaves which are enclosed in a red sheath.

The Indian Rubber was once an economic plant in the region. Its latex was tapped and processed into Gutta Rambong, a type of rubber of inferior quality. After the introduction of the Para Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), the planting of Indian Rubber and tapping of its latex was slowly phased out. This was because the Para Rubber produced rubber of better quality and could be tapped about six years after being planted, while the Indian Rubber could only be tapped about 15 years after it was planted. Ficus elastica yields a milky white latex , a chemical compound separate from its sap and carried and stored in different cells . This latex was formerly used to make rubber but it should not be confused with the Para rubber tree, the main commercial source of latex for rubber making. Just as with Hevea brasiliensis, the latex of Ficus elastica is an irritant to the eyes and skin and is toxic if taken internally.

 

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