Rubber Plant – Ficus elastica

Common Name: Rubber Plant

Botanical Name: Ficus elastica, FY-kus e-LAS-ti-ca

Decorative Life: Years.

Availability: Year Round

Cultivars that reportedly exhibit good postharvest characteristics include ‘Cabernet CLP’ and ‘Melany’.

• Member of the Moraceae (mulberry family).
• Native from India to Malaya.
• Common relatives include mulberry, fig, osage-orange and hops.

• Leaves thick, glossy, leathery, up to 12 inches long and 6 inches wide. They can be green, reddish-green to variegated (green, white and/or creamy yellow).
• Stems woody.

Chill sensitive, store at 55-60F. ‘Robusta’ can be stored about 5 degrees colder (50-60F). In fact, this cultivar can even tolerate 36-46F for up to 4 days and still be salable.

• The specific epithet name elastica means elastic, in reference to the milky, latex sap used to make rubber.
• Ficus: ancient Latin name for fig.
• A white latex material appears when stems and/or leaves are broken. Try to avoid such breakage as the latex can make a mess on floors, furniture and the like.
• Will generally grow well in light levels bright enough to read a newspaper in comfort but higher light levels are preferred. If light levels are to low, the common problem of twig dieback often develops.
• If grown in Florida, plants should have been produced under 50-60% shade. Grown under lower light levels, plants are better adapted for the commonly encountered lower light levels when placed indoors.

Poole and Conover (1993) stored ‘Robusta’ at 36-46F from 1-4 days and subsequently noted small yellow striations on leaves within a few days but the plants were still salable.