Click on any image to open the slideshow
Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem.
Rubber Plant
Indian Rubberplant
Florida native
Found in Florida only in cultivated landscapes. Native to India and southeast Asia.
A large, stout tree typically growing from 30-40m (100 to 130 ft.) tall often with aerial and buttressing roots. The alternate leaves are oval, shiny dark green and lighter underneath. Younger plants have the largest leaves, up to 35cm (14 in.) long while older plants may have leaves that are only 10cm (4 in.) long. New leaves form at the end of branches inside a red sheath that will uncurl and fall off.
In its native range, these rubber plants will develop a small oval fig 1cm (~ 1/2 in.) long that contains the male and female flowers inside. These are pollinated by a specific wasp that has co-evolved with this species of tree, making the successful reproduction of both the tree and the wasp dependent upon each other.
Ficus elastica is a member of the Moraceae - Mulberry family.
Other species of the Ficus genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Ficus aurea - STRANGLER FIG
Ficus religiosa - BO TREE
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Dec 19, 2023
