Ficus elastica

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It is a large tree in the banyan group of figs, growing to {{convert|30|-|40|m|ft|round=5|abbr=on}} – rarely up to {{convert|60|m|ft|round=5|abbr=on|disp=or}} – tall, with a stout trunk up to {{convert|2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in diameter. The trunk develops aerial and buttressing roots to anchor it in the soil and help support heavy branches.

It has broad shiny oval leaves {{convert|10|-|35|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|5|-|15|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} broad; leaf size is largest on young plants (occasionally to {{convert|45|cm|in|disp=or|frac=2|abbr=on}} long), much smaller on old trees (typically {{convert|10|cm|in|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} long). The leaves develop inside a sheath at the apical meristem, which grows larger as the new leaf develops. When it is mature, it unfurls and the sheath drops off the plant. Inside the new leaf, another immature leaf is waiting to develop. The canopy of the tree is dense.

As with other members of the genus Ficus, the flowers require a particular species of fig wasp to pollinate it in a co-evolved relationship. Because of this relationship, the rubber plant does not produce highly colourful or fragrant flowers to attract other pollinators. The fruit is a small yellow-green oval fig {{convert|1|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, barely edible; these are fake fruits that contain fertile seeds only in areas where the pollinating insect is present.

The natural range of F. elastica extends from Nepal in the north to Indonesia, Bhutan, Northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Yunnan in China, and Malaysia. It has been widely introduced in most tropical regions of the world, including Hawaii and the West Indies. In Europe, it can be found in mild locations throughout the Mediterranean Basin.

File:10 Shnongpdei 1.JPG, India]]

In parts of India, people guide the roots of the tree over chasms to eventually form living bridges.{{Cite web |url=http://humanplanet.com/timothyallen/2011/03/living-root-bridges-bbc-human-planet/ |title=Living Root Bridges |date=21 March 2011 |access-date=2012-06-19 |archive-date=2018-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621184459/http://humanplanet.com/timothyallen/2011/03/living-root-bridges-bbc-human-planet/ |url-status=live }} To this day there are large bridges woven from aerial roots in Meghalaya, India. Although the trees used for these bridges are very large, aerial roots can be found on F. elastica as small as 1 feet tall.https://planthouseaesthetic.com/do-rubber-plants-have-aerial-roots-heres-what-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=This%20tendency%20also%20manifests%20itself%20in%20captivity%20with%20plants%20as%20small%20as%201ft%2C%20as%20shown%20in%20the%20picture%20above.{{better source needed|date=May 2025}}

All parts of the plant contain an abundant milky white latex, a chemical compound separate from its sap and carried and stored in different cells. The latex of Ficus elastica can irritate the eyes and skin, and is toxic if taken internally.MacDonald, Elvin "The World Book of House Plants" Popular Books Its sap can be used to make rubber; it was once the most common plant in Sumatra and Malay Peninsula for tapping before the Pará tree (Hevea brasiliensis) was introduced from Brazil in the late 1800s and became popular since then.{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Colin |year=1978 |title=The Natural Rubber Industry, Its Development, Technology, and Economy in Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IsKzAAAAIAAJ&q=tapping+rambong |location=Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-580314-0 |page=18}}{{Cite book |last=McCarthy |first=John F. |year=2006 |title=The Fourth Circle: A Political Ecology of Sumatra's Rainforest Frontier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jDdHY21JMAC&dq=tapping+rambung&pg=PA30 |location=Stanford, California, USA |publisher=Stanford University Press |page=30 |isbn=978-0-8047-5212-1}} Rambung trees were very valuable to farmers in Aceh who could find them in their newly cleared lands. The latex of Ficus elastica has been tested for use in the manufacture of modern rubber, but without economic and technical results.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

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Ficus 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. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 10–12.[https://www.gardenia.net/plant/ficus-elastica-rubber-tree Ficus elastica (Rubber Tree)] by Gardenia.net. Retrieved 1 May 2025. Although it is grown in Hawaii, the species of fig wasp required to allow it to spread naturally is not present there.

In cultivation, it prefers bright sunlight but not hot temperatures. It has a high tolerance for drought, but prefers humidity and thrives in wet, tropical conditions. Ornamental hybrids (such as Robusta) have been derived from Ficus elastica with broader, stiffer and more upright leaves than the wild form. Many such hybrids exist, often with variegated leaves.

Most cultivated plants are produced by vegetative propagation. This can be done by cuttings or by layering.

File:Ficus elastica - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-206.jpg|Illustration from Köhler's Medicinal Plants (1887)

File:Living bridge formed of the aërial roots (33071614871).jpg|An 1854 illustration of Ficus elastica trained as a living bridge

File:Ficus elastica Ficus lutea.JPG|Ficus elastica leaf on the left compared to Ficus lutea on the right

File:Ficus elastica figs.jpg|The figs of F. elastica

File:Ficus elastica.jpg|Ficus elastica near the roadside in Savusavu, Fiji, showing the effects of constant pruning on the growth form.

File:Ficus elastica.Ghana.jpg|A huge Ficus elastica tree in Ghana showing the aerial roots.

File:Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica 'Robusta').jpg|Many cultivars, such as this Ficus elastica 'Robusta', are common in the houseplant trade

File:Starr 080117-1722 Ficus elastica.jpg|A variegated cultivar

File:Ficus elastica (rubber plant).jpg|Ficus elastica, commonly called the rubber plant.

File:Ficus10.jpg|Ficus black

Ficus elastica tricolor-1-R.M. Nagar-bangalore-India.jpg|Ficus elastica 'Decora' ('Ruby' in Australia), a cultivar with pinkish hues

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elastica

Category:Epiphytes

Category:House plants

Category:Ornamental trees

Category:Flora of tropical Asia

Category:Plants described in 1819