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

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: xiang jiao shu

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	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 86) Vouchers cited: S.F. Glassman 2411 (BIAH), M. Takamatsu 798 (BISH)
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.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
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.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island		Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.) (1967) (voucher ID: BNM 337) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced cultivated	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 450) Cultivated.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (pp. 9-10) Voucher: Flynn 6959 (PTBG, SAMOA)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 287) Taxon name on voucher: Hevea brasiliensis
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
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Cultivated for rubber. S. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan.
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 48) Naturalised
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)

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
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Frégate Island		Robertson, S. A./Todd, D. M. (1983) (p. 50)

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.
Information from the USDA Tropical Tree Seed Manual (PDF format).

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

Information about Hevea brasiliensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

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

References:

Beleu National Museum (Republic of Palau. Koror.). 1967. Voucher specimen #BNM337(Emmons 7).

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.

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

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

Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. 2010. Checklist of the vascular plants of Pohnpei with local names and uses. Allertonia, in press. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 146 pp.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2002. Voucher specimen #PTBG287(Tim Flynn 6959).

Robertson, S. A./Todd, D. M. 1983. Vegetation of Frégate Island, Seychelles. In: Sachet, M. H., D. R. Stoddart, and F. R. Fosberg. Floristics and ecology of Western Indian Ocean islands. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 273. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 253 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. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).