Hevea
Hevea benthamiana
Family: Euphorbiaceae
What it is like
Hevea or Hevea benthamiana is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing about 20 m in height. It is a tropical plant which can be found in Asia, Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Valenzuela. The seeds are edible when cooked but poisonous when raw. It has to be boiled for 24 hrs due to its cyanide content. The tree yields a good quality, pure white later suitable for making rubber.
Hevea benthamiana is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 20
Where it is found
Low alluvial flood-sites and often-times growing in all year Mauritia-bogs.
Northern S. America - northern Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Colombia; Brazil, Asia, Colombia, South America, Sri Lanka,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Seed - cooked. Poisonous raw, the seeds are boiled for 24 hours, then the liquid is strained off. The mass that remains has somewhat the colour and consistency of rice that has been boiled a long time. The seeds are commonly used by some native people, though other tribes view them only as famine foods when better foods are not available.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 4
Other Uses: A good quality, pure-white latex, suitable for making rubber, is obtained from the tree. It produces a rubber only slightly inferior to that of Hevea brasiliensis.
Latex: A source of rubber.
Industrial Crop: Hydrocarbon: Materials, chemicals and energy include bioplastics, rubber, biomass products gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, butane, propane, biogas. Plants are usually resprouting plants and saps.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Industrial Crop: Hydrocarbon: Materials, chemicals and energy include bioplastics, rubber, biomass products gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, butane, propane, biogas. Plants are usually resprouting plants and saps.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
How it is grown
A tropical plant.
Propagating it: Seed
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The seeds contain cyanic compounds are poisonous to humans unless treated. See notes on edible uses below.
Its other names
Local names
Hevea
Synonyms
Hevea discolor Spruce ex Pax Hevea duckei Huber