Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg., Euphorbiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Brazilian rubber tree, hevea, Para rubber tree

Fijian: rapa

French: arbre de Para, hévéa

Spanish: árbol del caucho, cauchotero de Pará, jebe, siringa

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A more or less deciduous tree to 20 m tall with smooth grayish trunk; leaves of 3 distinct, elliptic entire, petiolulate leaflets, each 10-20 cm long, narrowed-acute at both ends; flowers in open axillary panicles half as long as the leaf; flowers small, greenish-yellow; calyx 5-lobed; white-tomentose; petals none; capsules subglobose 3-lobed, woody, 5-7 cm thick, brown; seeds oblong, mottled brown, nearly 2.5 cm long" (Stone, 1970; p. 379).

Habitat/ecology:  "Although Hevea brasiliensis evolved in moist to well drained tropical rainforests it can tolerate drier conditions or occasionally slight drought, to which it responds by shedding leaves.  It germinates best under semi-shade, and grows quickly without branching towards the light above"  (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 38).

Propagation:  Seed.  "The seeds may be ejected for up to 15 m by the explosion of mature fruits, but otherwise have few means of dispersal" (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 38).

Native range:  Amazonian South America; widely cultivated throughout the tropics as a source of natural rubber (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 38).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 140)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 20)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1936) (voucher ID: BISH 143121) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1936) (voucher ID: BISH 143122) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 143123) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 540) Mostly in abandoned plantations. Vouchers cited: DA 12458, Smith 9440, DA 16030, DF 432 (Damanu 97)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1968) (voucher ID: BISH 33153) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1953) (voucher ID: BISH 143119) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		Brel, Marcello (year unknown)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 140)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1950) (voucher ID: BISH 143120) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1968) (voucher ID: BISH 428561) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1967) (voucher ID: BISH 438027) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (pp. 9-10)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1973) (voucher ID: BISH 417444) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced cultivated	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (pp. 38, 115) From remnants from plantations. Naturalized

Comments:  Seen along the road to Vaipouli College, Savai‘i, Samoa (Space & Flynn, 2002). May also be on Upolu, Samoa (Bill Cable, pers. com.). Should be monitored for possible spread.

Reported naturalizing on Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 38).

Control: 

Chemical: "Pending the results of field trials seedlings should be sprayed with 2% Roundup plus Pulse in clean water when in full leaf, and saplings and trees basal bark treated with 10% Garlon 600 in diesel oil" (Swarbrick, 1997; p. 38).

Additional information:  Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Hevea brasiliensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Hevea brasiliensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1936. Voucher specimen #BISH 143121 (Takamatsu, M. 798).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1936. Voucher specimen #BISH 143122 (Takamatsu, M. 798).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 143123 (Glassman, S.F. 2411).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1950. Voucher specimen #BISH 143120 (Fosberg, F.R. 32336).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1953. Voucher specimen #BISH 143119 (Smith, A.C. 9440).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1967. Voucher specimen #BISH 438027 (Emmons, B. 7).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1968. Voucher specimen #BISH 33153 (Parham, J.W. 16030).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1968. Voucher specimen #BISH 428561 (Emmons, B. 7).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1973. Voucher specimen #BISH 417444 (Whistler, W.A. W 809).

Brel, Marcello. 0. Marcello Brel, pers. com.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.