English: Panama Rubber Tree.
Region: Northern South America, central America to southern Mexico.
Habitat: moist, lowland tropics; openings in moist lowland forest; dry or wet forest; in thickets in the lowlands; elevations below 300 metres; killed by temperatures of 10°c or lower; prefers rich, well-drained soil, sunny position.
Culture: superseded by the rubber tree,
Hevea brasiliensis.
Use: source of latex, good quality, tough and resilient when dried, for bouncing balls, waterproofing fabrics, artefacts, local handcrafts, rain capes or coats, withstands combined heat and moisture, coagulating upon exposure to air, hastened by the sap of Calonyction; bark is fibrous for cords, mats, blankets, clothing; wood for fuel.
BotanyTree; deciduous to evergreen; large, spreading crown; 10 to 30 to 60 metres tall; grows fast.
Root: rather short taproot; several lateral roots spreading horizontally, near the surface, can often be followed for 20 to 30 metres.
Stem: 30 to 90 cm in diameter; buttresses in large trees; pale grey bark; wood is yellow brown to creamy white, moderately soft, light, fairly straight-grained, with a rather coarse texture, tough, strong, easy to cut, not durable.
Flowers: flowering at the end of the dry season; only male flowers, dioecious, both male and female flowers, monoecious.
Pollination: wind, ?insects.
Fruit: succulent, ellipsoid, reddish; 4 cm in diameter; sweetish flavour.