About Rubber Plant 'Robusta'

History

The Rubber Plant Robusta is a variant of the Rubber Fig botanically known as Ficus elastica. Its native habitat spans across Southeast Asia. Rubber Plants are widely grown in gardens across tropical regions of the world, and during the '90s they became an extremely popular houseplant in Europe.

Cultivation

In the wild, rubber plants can grow up to 40 metres in height. Rubber plants are part of the fig family and in the wild grow small white fig fruits. The Rubber Plant gets its name from the milky white latex it yields that can produce rubber, although is not used for commercial purposes anymore.

Care

Rubber plants likes to be kept in a bright indirect light, but avoiding direct afternoon sunshine which can burn the leaves. The Rubber Plant does not tolerate drought well and likes its soil to be kept moist but not soggy. It's best to water as soon as the top few cms of soil have dried out. Being from tropical climes, rubber plants also enjoy extra humidity. Rubber Plant leaves tend to collect dust so its good to wipe them regularly to help absorb sunlight.

Did you know?

The incredibly strong root systems of rubber trees have been used to make bridges across rivers in India.

Toxicity

If ingested this plant can be toxic or poisonous so keep away from dogs, cats or other pets and small children.

Also Known As

Rubber Fig; Ficus; Rubber bush; Rubber tree; Indian rubber bush: Indian rubber tree