Para rubber tree
Hevea spruceana

Family: Euphorbiaceae

What it is like

An deciduous tree. It grows 40 m tall. The trunk is swollen at the base. The bark is smooth and brown. The leaves are arranged in spirals. They are compound and the leaflets are narrowly oval. The flowers are small and yellow. The fruit is a capsule exploding into 3 lobes.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in low and deeply flooded river-banks in the rainforest.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bolivia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Colombia, Guyana, Indonesia, SE Asia, South America

How it is used for food

The seeds are cooked and eaten. Caution: The seeds contain cyanide and are poisonous unless well cooked.

In some places the seeds are an important food and in others only a famine food.

Edible parts

Seeds

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. It can also be grown from cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Pohon karet para

Synonyms

Hevea discolor (Spruce ex Benth.) Mull.Arg.; Hevea paraensis Baill.; Hevea similis Hemsl.; Hevea spruceana var. discolor Ducke; Micrandra ternata R. Br.; Siphonia discolor Spruce ex Benth.; Siphonia spruceana Benth.;