Does a Rubber Tree Plant Have Flowers?
Known for their broad, glossy leaves, rubber trees (Ficus elastica) are houseplants that are readily available in garden centers. Although this sun-loving, tropical plant is native to India and Indonesia, it is can be grown in a sunny window even in a northern climate. Does this Spark an idea?
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Flowers
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Rubber trees are members of the enormous fig family, which has approximately 800 species. In their native habitat, figs have flowers that rely on a specific wasp to pollinate them. The flowers are impossible to see because they are encased in a unique structure called a synconium, which looks much like a small fig. Rubber trees grown indoors rarely produce synconiums, leading some to conclude that the plants have no flowers. Botanically speaking, the vast majority of plants rely on flowers to reproduce, and this is true of all common houseplants, including the rubber tree. Most homes, however, lack the light requirements that rubber trees require to produce flowers.
Care
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Given the warm, tropical nature of their native habitat, rubber trees grown as houseplants require a sunny window. Water them about once a week and empty the saucer of drainage water shortly after watering the plant. Fertilize with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer once a month during the sunniest months of the year, usually from April through October.
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Other Characteristics
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People who grow rubber trees are often perplexed about why the plant produces external roots that coil on the top of the soil surface. This is simply the rubber tree trying to be a rubber tree, even while in captivity. In the wild, rubber trees grow so tall that they require these external roots to anchor both the trunk and the branches. Rubber trees also produce sap that may irritate the skin.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
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Comments
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very helpful infos :].
