Rubber tree

Ficus elastica

Its name “Ficus” is the Latin for the common fig, a word of Phoenician origin.

  • Common name:  Rubber tree
  • Corsican name:  Fica elastica, Caucciù
  • French name: Caoutchouc, Ficus
ficus-1
ficus-2
ficus-3
ficus-4
ficus-5
ficus-6
ficus-7
ficus-8
ficus-9

Notes

Air-cleaning plant.

Species characteristics

Family: Moracea

Origin: Asia, Nepal, Sumatra.

Habitat: Tropical areas.

Characteristics: The Ficus elastica can reach a height of 50 metres in its native environment. Its foliage is evergreen, very shiny, leathery. Young leaves are pinkish stipules.
Unisexual flowers come from the axils of the leaves.

Flowering period: Year round.

Uses and properties: The leaves are toxic if ingested. Its milky sap can cause irritating reactions. It was once cultivated for its latex.

History and oddities

Studies carried out by NASA in 1980 demonstrated the air cleaning properties of ficus.