The tree produces natural rubber is a tall tree (30 to 40 m high in the Amazonian forest, its natural habitat), deciduous, with orthotropic rhythmic growth.
Rubber trees grow mainly in tropical lowlands below 400m altitude, originally covered by a dense tropical rainforest. Dry spells or temperatures below 18° C do not affect vegetative growth but reduce latex yield. Fertilizer demands for the tree are only important in the vegetative development stage (first 6 years) when the biomass is built up. Once the tree is mature and latex tapping has started the mineral fertilizer supply for compensating the nutrients exported by the latex is much smaller.
About 90% of natural rubber is produced in Southeast Asia. Natural rubber is considered a vital raw material by developed countries and is valued for its high-performance characteristics. Synthetic rubber, derived from petroleum, is not as elastic or resiliant and does not have the heat transfer properties of natural rubber.
Rubber tree
