Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica · the Rubber Fig
In the monsoon forests of South and Southeast Asia it grows into a banyan, a strangler fig 30 m and more, dropping aerial roots to the ground. The glossy tree on your floor is the same species.
Family
Moraceae
Origin
South Asia
In the wild
A banyan to 30 m
Indoors
0.6–3 m tall
Growth
Moderate
With pets
Toxic
Where it's from
Eastern South and Southeast Asia
A banyan to 30 m
From the Himalayan foothills through Myanmar and Thailand to Sumatra and Java, in monsoon forest.
Outdoors: zones 10–12
A specimen tree in the tropics; elsewhere it must come inside before frost.
A strangler fig
Wild plants throw out aerial and buttress roots, and can grow around and over their host trees.
The living root bridges
It is a literal rubber plant. Ficus elastica was tapped for natural rubber before the South American Pará tree took over in the late 1800s. In Meghalaya the same aerial roots are guided across rivers into living bridges that last for centuries.
An early rubber source
Its milky latex was tapped commercially until Hevea brasiliensis displaced it.
Bridges grown, not built
In Meghalaya the aerial roots are trained across rivers; the living bridges last for generations.
It bleeds when cut
Every cut weeps white latex. Staunch it before potting a cutting.
How to keep it
LightBright, indirect
Part shade, no harsh afternoon sun. Variegated forms need more light to hold their colour.
WaterWhen the top inch dries
Water through the growing season, far less in winter. Soggy roots are the main killer.
HumidityModerate to highPrefers humid air but tolerates an average room.
Temperature15–29°CWarm and draught-free; not frost-hardy.
SoilRich, free-draining mixA soil-based potting mix that drains well.
FeedingGrowing season onlyA balanced feed in spring and summer, little to none in winter.
DifficultyEasy to moderateForgiving once settled; sheds leaves when moved or chilled.
With petsToxicThe milky latex carries ficin and psoralen. Drooling, vomiting, skin and eye irritation.
PropagationCuttings or air-layeringTip cuttings root; air-layering is the way to fix a leggy woody stem.
RepottingEvery 1–2 yearsWhile young or rootbound; slow down once it reaches the size you want.
What the data says
What it costs
Mostly a commodity. The white and red variegates carry a small premium, nothing like the Monstera bubble.
$10–35
Variegated 'Tineke' and 'Ruby' run a little more; the rarest 'Shivereana' a bit higher again.
IUCN · Least Concern
In the wild
A giant of Asian forests, in no danger, equally happy as a 30 m banyan or a potted plant.
It is the cultivated plant that can become the problem. Outside its native range, in parts of Hawaii where the right fig wasp was introduced, it sets seed and naturalises as a weed. Keep it potted there.
When it sulks
Dropping lower leavesA sudden change: moved, draughty, a light shift, or over or underwatering.
Mushy stem, yellow leavesOverwatering and root rot.
Brown leaf edgesAir too dry, or underwatered.
Faded variegationToo little light. The colour reverts in the dark.
PestsScale, aphids, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites. Wipe the big leaves and treat early.
Varieties & company
The varieties
RobustaDecoraBurgundyTinekeRubyShivereana
Pairs with · keep apart from
MonsteraPothosPhilodendronFernsSnake PlantCactiSucculents
A new plant, every week.
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