West African Rubber Tree. Lagos silk rubber
Funtumia elastica

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

Funtumia elastica is an evergreen Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 18 m (59ft) 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 cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 25

Where it is found

Deciduous forest. An evanescent species in secondary growth on abandoned cultivated land.

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Sudan, south to Gabon, Congo and Tanzania.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, China, Congo, East Africa, Gabon, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Liberia, Malaysia, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

The bark is very astringent, laxative and vermifuge. It is included in prescriptions for troubles associated with blennorrhoea and for painful menstruation. It is pounded up and taken in spirit to cure haemorrhoids. The latex is applied to cracked sores of the feet, to cutaneous fungal infections and to sores. A number of alkaloids is present in the leaves. They are used for treating chest-affections and particularly for whooping-cough. The young leaves are taken by mouth or in enemas for the treatment of diarrhoea, or are mixed with kaolin and administered by enema. The young leaves, mixed with those of Phyllanthus muellerianus, are taken to improve male fertility. An unidentified alkaloid is present in the seed . There has been some commercial interest in the seeds as a substitute for Strophanthus seed as a source of strophanthin (which is used like digitalin to treat heart conditions).

Other

Rating: 3

The bark contains a white latex which coagulates readily. Very high quality, but low yielding compared to Hevea brasiliensis. The seed-pod contains a fine white floss which is used for stuffing pillows and cushions. In some regions of Africa it is preferred over the floss obtained from Bombax and Ceiba. Spinning trials have indicated a suitability for commercial exploitation. The seeds contain about 26% oil with a bitterness in the cake, making it unfit for edible purposes. The wood is white and soft, and undifferentiated between sap and heart. It is not durable. It is used for carving spoons, bowls and other household utensils, and as a timber for beams and rafters in buildings. At one time it was commonly used in Ghana for making Asante stools, and still occasionally is. It has been found very suitable in match-manufacture for the inner and outer boxes and for match-splints, and is recommended for these purposes. It burns well and is said to be superior to Gmelina arborea.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

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: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

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 tree of the moist tropics. The plant is amenable to cultivation in forest plantations. Though the quality of the rubber is comparably good with that of Hevea rubber, this species can in no way compete in yield and therefore economically except in time of dire necessity.

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Damba, Debo, Ire rubber, Ire, Mutondo, Ndamba, Ngonga, Pohon karet sutra, Sekelay, Yamoa

Synonyms

Kibatalia elastica (Preuss) Merr. Kixia elastica Preuss