Species · genus Ficus · Moraceae

Rubber Plant

Ficus elastica Roxb.

Also known as: India Rubber Tree · Indian Rubber Tree · Rubber Fig

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Jawa, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam

Reference · F. elastica

Cultivars of F. elastica

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under F. elastica yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Ficus elastica is a large tree from the warm, humid forests of South and Southeast Asia, where it grows toward bright but filtered canopy light. Give it a bright spot out of harsh midday sun and let the top inch or two of mix dry before watering, hedging toward the drier side since its roots resent sitting wet. Average household humidity suits it; it tolerates ordinary indoor conditions well.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–30 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining, peat-based potting mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings or air layering

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Does not flower indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs

Fig / rubber plant — irritant latex (ficin); GI upset, dermatitis. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Rubber Plant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.