How is rubber dependent on a pest?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
September 11, 2002
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The Brazilian rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis (Willdenow ex A. Jussieu) Müller Aargau) is a member of the Euphorbiaceae, the same family as the familiar poinsettia. The trees are native to tropical South America and now grown in the Old World tropics. Twice a year, the trees "winter" or go through brief resting periods following the solstices. Immediately after the resting phases, Brazilian rubber trees put on new growth and flower.
Brazilian rubber trees are monoecious, bearing staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers in panicles. The staminate flowers emerge along the sides of the branches of the panicles; the pistillate flowers are borne terminally (at the tips).
The small flowers are imperfect, having only one sex per flower, and incomplete, lacking a whorl, in this instance, the petals. The sepals are five triangular lobes fused at the base. Male flowers have two rings of five stamens. Female flowers have three locules (chambers enclosing the ovules) fused into a compound ovary.
Rubber trees are dependent upon a "nuisance" insect. Thrips are tiny, ranging from 0.5 to 5 millimeters (25 millimeters to an inch). Normally thrips are pests which damage plants by feeding on sap. But rubber tree flowers are scented and attract thrips to carry pollen from the male to the female flowers.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, has posted a herbarium drawing taken from Koehler's Medicinal Plants of the rubber tree's leaves, flowers, and fruit. To view the drawing, click on the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Koeh-071.jpg
Integrated Pest Management with North Carolina State University has numerous photographs of thrips and thrip-damaged cotton. To view the photographs, click on the link:
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/cotton/InsectCorner/photos/thrips.htm
Mouse-over the blue links to view the thumbnails on the left or click the links to enlarge the images.
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
How was rubber first used? Plants that Changed History - August 27, 2002
How did rubber shape women's lives? Plants that Changed History - September 3, 2002
How did the rubber tree change war? Plants that Changed History - September 24, 2002
Why was rubber a military priority? Plants that Changed History - October 1, 2002
What was the coup of Kew? Plants that Changed History - September 17, 2002
How did rubber trees make a knight? Plants that Changed History - September 10, 2002
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