Rubber Tree Plant

Plant Bio

Ficus elastica is a species of evergreen tropical tree native to Indochina and belonging to the fig family, Moraceae. Due to the amount of isoprene it produces, its latex sap was once used to make rubber before synthetics and other natural alternatives became available. In addition to being useful for rubber, in India, the Ficus elastica roots are used to make living bridges. A rotting tree trunk is put across a river, and the rubber tree's roots are guided along the trunk, eventually growing to the other side, and thickening to complete the bridge. The bridge, being alive and flexible, resists wind and flooding.