Ficus elastica

Latex and lies

Got a fave? Burgundy, shiveriana, tineke, ruby, Belize, black prince (Does this even exist??? Because I can’t find one.), decora? Are there more? I saw one YouTube video that claimed there were thirty-two varieties, but I didn’t watch it because, well, I have stuff to do.

Ficus elastica has a lot of cool science going for it. For one, there are studies looking at it for a biofuel alternative. If you’ve got a happy one of these, you can attest to how fast they can grow, even when you forget to water it for a few weeks. Another thing you’ve no doubt noticed if you’ve got a Ficus elastica is the milky-white latex they leak when you accidentally bend a leaf. While they were once used in rubber production, these days they have been largely supplanted by Heva brasiliensis. That said, Ficus elastica latex tends to be less of a trigger for latex allergies than Heva b. and still has potential for use in other rubber products.

This Science Direct article mentions the word vermifuge which is just a word I like. It’s a medicine that treats a parasitic worm infection.

Speaking of invertebrates, there is a species of longhorn beetle, the Batocera rubus (aka Batocera octomaculata) that is a common pest of wild rubber trees. Beetles are cool so I’m taking this opportunity to stick beetle stuff into a post. Here is a snippet about B. rubus grubs that I quite enjoyed.

And here is the beetle. Kind a cute for a devourer.

So the last sciency thing I have to tell you about Ficus elastica is truly epic. I highly suggest giving this NPR article a read. There is a place in the Indian state of Meghalaya where villagers build bridges out of living Ficus elastica roots. Many species of ficus grow aerial roots. This is because they are largely hemiepiphytic. Meaning, their seeds are blown into the canopy of another tree, or settle into a crevice in the bark of another tree and sprout. From there, the seedling grows roots from the top of the tree it’s living on, down into the soil, sometimes reaching a hundred feet and wrapping around its host for support. As the ficus grows, it will often strangle and kill the tree its growing on.

Photo totally stolen from the NPR article, which you should read.

Ficus elastica are fantastic houseplants. I have… a few. Ok, I just counted, I have eight. Part of the reason for that is that these plants are tenacious. Cut off a branch, give it sunlight and wet dirt, and you’ll have a new rooted plant in a couple weeks. Sometimes less. Like all ficus, they crave direct light, the more the better, but don’t need a lot of water. I’ve got a Tineke, a Ruby, two Belizes, and the rest are Burgundys. My poor ficus Belizes don’t get enough light, so they’re more pink than red. And that is the trick with all of these varieties, if the Tineke gets too much light, it turns, pink. If the Belize gets too little light, it also turns pink. Too much one way or the other and the Ruby goes white or red. Are these names lies?? I’m starting to suspect they are just different marketing labels for one plant. Maybe I’m just a plant addicted sap that will buy anything labeled ficus. Ok I definitely am.

My little apartment is not great with the light, sadly.

Top left: Ruby getting too little light. Top Right: Belize getting too little light. Bottom left: Burgundy getting enough light but not enough dusting. Bottom right: Tineke getting too much light.

Here is half the family.