Ficus elastica

Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem., Hort. Bot. Hafn. Suppl.: 7. 1819; Roxb., Fl. Ind. 3: 541. 1832; King in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 5: 508. 1888; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1: 482. 1918 (Reprint 1973); Bailey, Man. Cult. Pl. 340. 1949; Corner, Gard. Bull. Singapore 21(1): 24. 1965; Corner in Dass. & Fosb., Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 3: 261. fig. 18. 1981; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 5: 42; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org vol. 3; Ghafoor, Fl. Pak. @ org p. 17; F. cordata Kunth & C. D. Bouche, Index Seminum (B, Berolinensis) 1846: 14. 1847; F. elastica var. decora Guill., Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat., ser. 2, 21: 722. 1949; Urostigma elasticum (Roxb. ex Hornem) Miq., London J. Bot. 6: 578. 1847.

A large evergreen tree, up to 30 m tall, with a dense crown and spreading branches without prop roots. Trunk massive, up to 1.5 m in circumference with copious much buttressed roots; bark greyish or reddish brown; young twigs strong, finely puberulous. Milky latex copious. Stipules very large, 8-25 cm long, often rosy to pinkish-brown or green, enclosing apical bud completely, membranous, caducous, scar conspicuous (above leaf). Leaves alternate; petiole stout, 2-7 cm long with adaxial groove, glabrous; leaf blade oblong to elliptic, 8-35 cm x 5-21 cm, thick, leathery, glossy and dark green above and abaxially pale green, base broadly cuneate, margin entire and apex obtuse with ca. 1 cm long acumen; secondary veins many (20-40 on each side of midvein), closely parallel and inconspicuous, hardly raised beneath, intercostals finer, not very prominent. Hypanthodia axillary, paired, on leafless or leafy branch, ovoid-ellipsoid or oblong-ovoid, ca. 13 mm x 6 mm, glabrous, subtended by basal bracts fused to form involucral cup, ca. 3 mm long; apical orifice closed by 3-4 apical bracts. Male flowers: Scattered among other flowers, pedicellate. Calyx lobes 3-4, ovate. Stamen 1, filament absent; anther ovoid-ellipsoid. Female flowers and gall flowers: Sessile. Sepals 3-4, free. Ovary ovoid, smooth; style subterminal, long; stigma +/- capitate. Figs ovoid-oblong, ca. 13 mm x 6-8 mm, pale to yellowish brown. Achenes ovoid, tuberculate.

Flowering and Fruiting: May to July
Common Names: India Rubber Tree, Indian Rubber Bush, Rubber Tree, Rubber Plant