Everything about Para Rubber Tree totally explained
» This article is about the main commercial source of latex. For the common ornamental plant, see Ficus elastica.
The
Pará rubber tree (
Hevea brasiliensis), often simply called
rubber tree, is a
tree belonging to the
family Euphorbiaceae and the most economically important member of the genus
Hevea. It is of major economic importance because its sap-like extract (known as
latex) can be collected and is the primary source of natural
rubber.
Description
The tree can reach a height of over 30m. The white or yellow latex occurs in latex vessels in the
bark, mostly outside the
phloem. These vessels spiral up the tree in a right-handed
spiral which forms an
angle of about 30 degrees with the horizontal.
Harvest
Once the trees are 5-6 years old, the harvest can begin: incisions are made orthogonal to the latex vessels, just deep enough to tap the vessels without harming the tree's growth, and the sap is collected in small buckets. This process is known as
rubber tapping. Older trees yield more latex, but they stop producing after 26-30 years.
History
The Pará rubber tree initially grew only in the
Amazon Rainforest. Increasing demand and the discovery of the
vulcanization procedure in 1839 led to a boom in that region, enriching the cities of
Belém and
Manaus. The name of the tree derives from
Pará, the second largest Brazilian state, that contains Belém as capital, mainly city and tech-financial centre.
There had been an attempt made, in 1873, to grow rubber outside
Brazil. After some effort, twelve seedlings were germinated at the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. These were sent to
India for cultivation, but died. A second attempt was then made, some 70,000 seeds being sent to Kew in 1875. About 4% of these germinated, and in 1876 about 2000 seedlings were sent, in
Wardian cases, to
Ceylon, and 22 sent to the Botanic Gardens in
Singapore. Once established outside its native country, rubber was extensively propagated in the British colonies. Rubber trees were brought to the botanical gardens at
Buitenzorg, Java in 1883. By 1898, a rubber plantation had been established in
Malaya, and today most rubber tree plantations are in
Southeast Asia and some also in tropical
Africa. Efforts to cultivate the tree in its native South America were unsatisfactory.
Uses
The wood from this tree, referred to as parawood or rubberwood, is used in the manufacture of high-end furniture. It is valued for its dense grain, minimal shrinkage, attractive colour and acceptance of different finishes. It is also prized as an "environmentally friendly" wood, as it makes use of trees that have been cut down at the end of their latex-producing cycle.
Synonyms
The genus
Hevea is also known as:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Para Rubber Tree'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://para_rubber_tree.totallyexplained.com">Para rubber tree Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
