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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

Conservation Assignment: Ficus Elastica Moraceae (Rambong)

Name

Scientific : Ficus elastica
English : India rubber tree, India rubber fig
Malaysian : Rambong
Finnish : Kumipuu


Scientific classification

Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Order : Urticales
Family : Moraceae
Tribe : Ficeae
Genus : Ficus
Subgenus : Urostigma
Species : F. elastica




DESCRIPTION

"...A wide-spreading evergreen tree to 30 m tall which develops descending aerial roots to form a banyan. All parts contain copious white latex. Plants start from cutting as erect stems but soon develop several heavy spreading branches. Twigs are encircled by distinctive leaf scars and branches have thin smooth to finely rough gray-brown bark. The plants tend to branch at the base, and both trunks and branches develop slender dangling aerial roots, which quickly thicken to become strong downwardly branched supporting roots which may coalesce and eventually hide the original trunk. Spreading surface roots may also be formed. The shiny, leathery, broadly oval leaves are initially enclosed in a long pink papery scale, which leaves a circular scar as it falls. The leaves are 7-20 cm long, with smooth edges and blunt pointed tips and are paler below than above. In India, at least, pairs of oblong yellowish-green figs about 2 cm long develop among the leaves on the branches of older trees." (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 35).


PROPAGATION

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 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long, barely edible; it will only contain viable seed where the relevant fig wasp species is present.


NATIVE RANGE

India and southern Asia (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 35).


USES

It can yield a milky white latex also known as sap, which has been used in some cases to make rubber, but it should not be confused with the ParĂ¡ rubber tree, the main commercial source of latex for rubber making. This sap is also an irritant to the eyes and skin and can be fatal if taken internally. In the past, it was grown as a source of natural rubber and is now widely used as ornamental foliage plant.


REFERENCES

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

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