Rubber Plant Ficus elastica
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- FY-kus ee-LASS-tih-kuh
- Description
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The Rubber Plant is a broadleaf evergreen, flowering, tree in the Mulberry family typically grown as a popular ornamental house plant 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 partial shade and protection from the 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 do 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 them unpruned to encourage a tall, narrow, more tree-like form. Flowers will appear on either new or old growth. It can become a heavy plant that is best for large spaces. If the leaves are cut, the surface will drip sap. Rubber Plants in the wild are 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 spider mites can be problematic.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Abdijan'
leathery, thick, dark green leaves with hints of deep red, up to 6 feet tall - 'Belize'
glossy, leathery green leaves with cream, pink, and red highlights, 4 to 10 feet tall - 'Burgundy'
dark green leaves with hints of burgundy, up to 6 feet tall - 'Decora'
large, very thick, dark green leaves - 'Doescheri'
green leaves with splotches of gray and cream, midrib and stalks are pink, up to 13 feet tall - 'Melany'
dense, small, green and bronze leaves, up to 6 feet tall, smaller versions available - 'Red Ruby'
green leaves with splashes of purple, red, and white. stems and ribs are reddish pink, up to 6 feet all - 'Robusta'
most common type, deep green, waxy leaves, up to 8 feet tall - 'Tineke'
rare type, green and cream or pale yellow variegated leaves, up to 13 feet tall - 'Tricolor'
leaves are cream, pink, and green, up to 6 feet tall - 'Variegata'
light green leaves with white or yellow margins - 'Yellow Gem'
golden-green leave, up to 6 feet tall
- 'Abdijan'
- 'Abdijan', 'Belize', 'Burgundy', 'Decora', 'Doescheri', 'Melany', 'Red Ruby', 'Robusta', 'Tineke', 'Tricolor', 'Variegata', 'Yellow Gem'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Abdijan'
leathery, thick, dark green leaves with hints of deep red, up to 6 feet tall - 'Belize'
glossy, leathery green leaves with cream, pink, and red highlights, 4 to 10 feet tall - 'Burgundy'
dark green leaves with hints of burgundy, up to 6 feet tall - 'Decora'
large, very thick, dark green leaves - 'Doescheri'
green leaves with splotches of gray and cream, midrib and stalks are pink, up to 13 feet tall - 'Melany'
dense, small, green and bronze leaves, up to 6 feet tall, smaller versions available - 'Red Ruby'
green leaves with splashes of purple, red, and white. stems and ribs are reddish pink, up to 6 feet all - 'Robusta'
most common type, deep green, waxy leaves, up to 8 feet tall - 'Tineke'
rare type, green and cream or pale yellow variegated leaves, up to 13 feet tall - 'Tricolor'
leaves are cream, pink, and green, up to 6 feet tall - 'Variegata'
light green leaves with white or yellow margins - 'Yellow Gem'
golden-green leave, up to 6 feet tall
- 'Abdijan'
- 'Abdijan', 'Belize', 'Burgundy', 'Decora', 'Doescheri', 'Melany', 'Red Ruby', 'Robusta', 'Tineke', 'Tricolor', 'Variegata', 'Yellow Gem'
- Tags:
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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.
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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
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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
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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 contains fertile seeds only in areas where the pollinating insect is present.
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Flowers:
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Description:
- Minute, axillary, unisexual flowers enclosed in a 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 them, the rubber plant does not produce highly colorful or fragrant flowers to attract other pollinators.
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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.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Scarcely branched in younger specimens, stiff and sturdy.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- 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
