Rubber Plant

Ficus elastica, commonly called India rubber plant, India rubber tree or India rubber fig, is native from the Himalayas to Malaysia, Sumatra and Java. It is a broadleaf evergreen shrub or tree that may grow to 50-100′ tall in its native habitat. It is widely grown in the tropics as an ornamental tree.

The rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is a fast growing, medium to tall tree (25 m high in plantations and up to 40 m in the wild), with deep tap-roots. The trunk is smooth and straight with a grayish bark. It is known for its laticiferous system from which latex is extracted by tapping the trunk.