Hevea, or rubber tree grows in Indonesia, South America and Malaysia. The plant got such a strange name due to the presence of milky juice, which protrudes from cracks and incisions in the bark. These secretions are initially very similar to dandelion juice, and after a while they freeze - this is latex. The locals collect raw materials in special containers and call them raw or untreated rubber. In many states, hevea is under the protection of the law, therefore it is not allowed to cut trees anywhere, only in certain places.
The rubber tree has several varieties, the most famous are white and red. Hevea is highly durable, its wood can compete even with European oak, which is considered one of the most durable species. In addition, the plant is not susceptible to decay, it is durable and malleable in processing. It is safe to say that this is a miracle, not a tree, since a lot of different products are made from it. Furniture, figurines, parquet, kitchen utensils, picture frames, tires, high-quality rubber, children's toys, gloves - this is not a complete list of things that can be obtained from Hevea.
The elastic resin of the rubber tree is collected by local residents in special containers. To do this, cuts on the trunk through which rubber juice flows, then they process it and get a huge amount of necessary, high-quality and completely environmentally friendly things. You should not think that every rubber tree gives latex. Juice can only be collected from plants that have reached adolescence, that is, about 10-12 years. As long as it contains latex, wood parasites do not attack the tree, so the wood remains strong, strong and without visible damage.
Hevea grows very slowly, under favorable conditions, a seedling can grow by 4 cm per month. No age rings are observed, therefore, only by the height of the stem can you determine its age. An adult rubber tree reaches a height of about 25 m, a trunk diameter of 0.75 m. The wood texture is rather weak, which is used by manufacturers of picture frames, furniture and figurines, where a clearly defined pattern is not required. Nevertheless, hevea also has a very beautiful color of wood, to obtain an unsurpassed effect, the trunk is cut lengthwise, then a creamy pinkish tint passes in the middle.
Many people think about how to grow a rubber tree in order to receive income from raw materials. It should be noted that hevea will grow only in favorable conditions; creating them artificially will be very difficult. In nature, she prefers hillsides, rain forests at an altitude of about 400-900 m. The temperature should be from 23 to 35 ° C, and annual rainfall - up to 4 m. In addition, the plant prefers group plantings, it grows poorly alone, because that its roots intertwine with neighbors, forming communities skillfully opposing all the misfortunes of nature, whether it be a storm or a cyclone.
