Hevea spruceana

(Benth.) Mull.Arg.

Para rubber tree

Euphorbiaceae Edible: Seeds Potential hazards — see below 1 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Hevea spruceana is a species of rubber tree in the genus Hevea, belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to the rainforests of northern Brazil and Guyana. It is named in honour of the English botanist Richard Spruce who spent the years 1849 to 1864 exploring the Amazon basin and sending botanical specimens back to Europe.

Description

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.

Edible Uses

The seeds are cooked and eaten, and in some places are an important food source, while in others they are only eaten during famines.

Traditional Uses

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

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Known Hazards

The seeds contain cyanide and are poisonous unless well cooked.

Distribution

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

Where It Grows

Asia, Bolivia, Brazil*, Colombia, Guyana, Indonesia, SE Asia, South America,

Cultivation

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

Other Uses

A latex obtained from the plant can be used to make rubber. The plant yields a watery, white latex that is almost devoid of rubber.

Other Information

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

Synonyms

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

Also Known As

Pohon karet para

References (4)

Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol 37. 1956, http://www.bioversitylibrary.org
Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 323