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Ficus elastica

Phonetic Spelling
FY-kus ee-LASS-tih-kuh
Description

The Rubber Plant is a broadleaf evergreen, flowering, tree in the Mulberry family typically grown as a popular ornamental houseplant in temperate climates. In the wild and left to its own devices, the tree can grow to 100 feet high. When grown indoors, it rarely flowers and it is usually kept to 2 to 10 feet with training or support as needed. Whether indoors or out, Rubber Plant is noted for its foot long, shiny, attractive leaves, dark green with pink or purple stipules. and variegated forms are available. The genus name comes from the Latin name for the edible fig. The species name refers to the milky sap that once was used to produce rubber.

Rubber Plant does best in partial shade or low light in dry soil and medium relative humidity with a temperature of greater than 55 degrees F. When grown indoors, plant in a soil-based potting mix under bright indirect light or part shade and protection from afternoon sun. Water regularly, but avoid overwatering. Reduce watering altogether when the plant is dormant (from fall to late winter).

Rubber Plant prefers to remain in one location and does not do well with drafts or cold temperatures. Use a damp soft cloth or sponge to clean dust off of leaves. Prune main branches to encourage a bushier habit, or leave unpruned to encourage a tall, narrow, more tree-like form. It can become a heavy plant that is best for large spaces. It the leaves are cut, the surface will drip sap. Rubber Plant in the wild is erect with a spreading crown, aerial roots, and initially epiphytic ( a plant that begins as a growth on the surface of another plant).

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a fact sheet on Ficus elastica.

Quick ID Hints:

  • Leaves are VERY LARGE, glossy, elliptic, stiff and leathery
  • Midrib is pale to reddish and raised underneath

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:

Overwatering can cause loss of leaves as can temperature drops or cold drafts.  It is normal for some bottom leaves to turn yellow and drop.  Mealybugs, scales, and spidermites can be problematic.
 

 

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'decora'
    Larger leaves with ivory midrib.
  • 'variegata'
    Narrow leaves with yellow/green margins.
'decora', 'variegata'
Tags:
#evergreen#houseplant#shrub#broadleaf evergreen#interiorscape#ornamentals#fantz#problem for cats#problem for dogs#problem for horses#tree#cpp
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'decora'
    Larger leaves with ivory midrib.
  • 'variegata'
    Narrow leaves with yellow/green margins.
'decora', 'variegata'
Tags:
#evergreen#houseplant#shrub#broadleaf evergreen#interiorscape#ornamentals#fantz#problem for cats#problem for dogs#problem for horses#tree#cpp
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Ficus
    Species:
    elastica
    Family:
    Moraceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Sap was once drained to produce rubber.
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Layering
    Root Cutting
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Southeast Asia: Nepal to China and western Malesia
    Distribution:
    Florida, Cuba, western Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Spain, and India.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 50 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Houseplant
    Perennial
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Erect
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Occasionally Dry
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Fruiting is rare when grown indoors. Fruit is an oblong fig, sessile, in pairs or crowded, green with darker flecks maturing to yellow, to 1/2 inch long and 1/4 wide. The fruit is barely edible and contain fertile seeds only in areas where the pollinating insect is present.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Insignificant
    Flower Description:
    Minute, axillary, unisexual flowers enclosed in fleshy receptacle (called a fig). Pollinated by wasps that enter by an apical orifice. Because the flowers require a particular species of fig wasp to pollinate it, the rubber plant does not produce highly colourful or fragrant flowers to attract other pollinators.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Variegated
    Leaf Feel:
    Glossy
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Oblong
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Prized for its stiff, glossy, large leaves. Acute to mucronate with a rotund base, stiffly coriaceous, glossy deep green above, paler underneath with raised midrib. Leaf length to 17 inches and 6 inches wide.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Scarcely branched in younger specimens, stiff and sturdy.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Houseplants
    Landscape Theme:
    Asian Garden
    Design Feature:
    Flowering Tree
    Small Tree
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Dry Soil
    Humidity
    Problems:
    Problem for Cats
    Problem for Dogs
    Problem for Horses