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Para Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis)

Flowering Plants

Hevea brasiliensis, commonly called the Para rubber tree, is a flowering tree of the spurge family Euphorbiaceae and the primary source of the world natural rubber, its milky latex the tree most economically significant feature. It is native to the Amazon basin of South America, taking its common name from the Brazilian province of Para where it naturally grew, before human introduction spread it across the tropics. In the wild it is deciduous and can reach forty three meters, with a cylindrical trunk that may develop a bottle shaped base, brown bark that exudes latex when cut, leaves arranged in groups of three leaflets, and fragrant, petal-less cream colored flowers that give way to an explosive seed capsule holding three large seeds. As the most economically important species in its genus, it fundamentally shaped modern commerce, with tapping of its latex typically beginning seven to ten years after a tree is planted.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Photosynthetic Autotroph 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 2
Relationship to People
Eaten or Drunk by People 3
Relationship to People
Source of Timber or Wood 3
Living or Extinct
Yes 4
Scientific Name
Hevea brasiliensis 6
Conservation Status
Least Concern 6
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 5
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Euphorbiaceae, Taxa
Source Hevea brasiliensis (Wikidata)

In Biome

Riparian Zone, Biomes
Source Plants For A Future: Hevea brasiliensis
Tropical Rainforest, Biomes
Source Plants For A Future: Hevea brasiliensis

In Ecosystem

Amazon Rainforest, Ecosystems
Source Hevea brasiliensis (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Bangladesh

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Benin

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Bolivia

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Brazil

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Cambodia

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Central African Republic

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Colombia

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Costa Rica

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Federated States of Micronesia

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Fiji

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Guinea

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Guinea-Bissau

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India

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Kenya

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Mexico

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Palau

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Peru

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Samoa

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Seychelles

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Taiwan

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Thailand

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Togo

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Venezuela

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Sources
1. Hevea brasiliensis (Wikipedia)
  • Lead paragraph: Hevea brasiliensis, the Pará rubber tree, sharinga tree, seringueira, or, most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family, Euphorb...
  • In Ecosystem: Amazon Rainforest, Distribution and habitat
    The South American rubber tree grew only in the Amazon rainforest
View the Source
2. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (species profiles): Species profiles of Hevea brasiliensis
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (species profiles)system profile
Quote, system profile
"habitat": "terrestrial"
View the Source
3. Plants For A Future: Hevea brasiliensis
Plants For A Future
  • Edible Uses
    Although poisonous, the seeds are a staple food of local peoples in the jungle[307 ].
  • Other Uses (Wood)
    Sawn rubberwood often shows black stripes with the inclusion of bark material, the result of poor tapping practices with damaged or removed cambium; in freshly sawn wood there is a characteristic and distinct smell of latex.
  • In Biome: Tropical Rainforest, Habitats
    Along river banks in rainforests ... Rainforest, often in periodically flooded areas, but larger trees are found on the well-drained plateaux. In its natural habitat, it forms part of the middle storey of the tropical forest
  • In Biome: Riparian Zone, Habitats
    Along river banks in rainforests ... Rainforest, often in periodically flooded areas, but larger trees are found on the well-drained plateaux. In its natural habitat, it forms part of the middle storey of the tropical forest
View the Source
4. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
5. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Euphorbiaceae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12515
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 12515
"cites_listing":"I/II/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":"Euphorbiales","family":"Euphorbiaceae"},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Euforbias","language":"ES"},{"name":"Euphorbes","language":"FR"},{"name":"Spurges","language":"EN"},{"name":"大戟科","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
6. Hevea brasiliensis (Wikidata)
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q156538 (P225 taxon name)
  • Wikidata P141 (IUCN conservation status) claim, entity QID Q156538
  • Statements section, conservation status (P141)
    IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
  • Child Taxon Of: Euphorbiaceae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
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