1. Botanical description of the tree
2. Spreading
3. Valuable properties
4. Application
5. Landing
6. Reproduction
7. Pests and diseases

This tree is of global importance as it is a source of valuable raw materials. The milky sap contained in the deep layers of its bark contains rubber, and the wood is distinguished by its unique decorative properties and high technical properties. The Hevea genus unites about ten species of broad-leaved evergreen plants - typical heat-loving representatives of the tropics.

Botanical description of the tree

In appearance, Hevea is an unremarkable medium-sized tree with a rather narrow carved crown. Belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The most popular species is its Brazilian variety - Hevea brasiliensis, native to South America. The height of some specimens reaches 35–40 m, but most rarely exceed the 20 m mark. The trunks are straight, 30–60 cm in diameter, bare for most of the height. The bark is light gray, dense. The leaves are trifoliate, growing in bunches at the ends of the shoots. The leaf lobes are dense, up to 10–15 cm long, leathery, oval, entire, with pointed tips. The surface is lined with feathery veins. The leaves on the tree change gradually throughout the year.

Hevea buds do not have covering scales, so the plant is absolutely defenseless against severe cold - it quickly dies during frost. The inflorescences are racemose, light yellow in color, sparse and loose, consisting of many small buds. Flowers are unisexual, male and female, located on the same tree - Hevea are monoecious.

Wood

Old trees, those that are 45–50 years old, stop producing latex in the quantity required for harvesting, but do not lose value. Having served their life as rubber plants, adult specimens provide a source of high-quality wood. This material belongs to the well-known group of the so-called, having high decorativeness, strength and wear resistance.

Within one log, an array of hevea changes several shades: from rich cream with dark small strokes to milky and soft pink with a slight pearlescent tint. From the outside it seems that the smooth surface shimmers. The wood has a very dense structure: its fibers are impregnated with latex, the layers grow evenly, without forming annual rings. It is stronger than European oak. The durability of the material is ensured by water-repellent properties and not being damaged by wood borers and fungi. Hevea does not swell, does not rot, does not crack. Thanks to its uniform texture, uniform density, and absence of curls, the material lends itself well to cutting and grinding, gluing, varnishing, and polishing. Problems arise only when wood is impregnated, but such treatment is rarely required. Its natural features are too good to be improved upon.

Application

Valuable latex sap is collected from trees by hand. The bark is carefully cut, making narrow grooves no deeper than 1 cm. Under them, vessels are tied to the trunks. The “rubber milk” that has drained after 4–5 hours is poured into large containers, adding ammonia or acetic acid to prevent drying out. During the day, each tree in different areas is cut several times. Collection is carried out daily, except during periods of drought or heavy rain.. Over the course of many years of use, the bark is cut repeatedly in the same place. After 15–20 years of operation, due to frequent damage, it becomes like a rough scab, the amount of juice decreases or stops.

In factories, the latex mass is dried and smoked, poured into special containers. After processing, the finished rubber becomes wax-like - plastic and translucent.

Before the invention of vulcanization, water-repellent material was only suitable for sewing mackintoshes - practical, thick raincoats. The production of rubber from it opened up many industries in which the material was needed:

• mechanical engineering;
• construction;
• production of shoes, clothing, toys, stationery, medical and household goods.

Hevea wood is used to make piece parquet, exclusive furniture, and finishing coatings.. This is an ornamental material for the production of various souvenirs, artistic design items, boxes, figurines, picture baguettes, jewelry, and decorative kitchen utensils.

The ancient Indians considered the tree magical and carved amulets and objects for magical rituals from it.

Landing

In the wild, Hevea regenerates by self-seeding. It grows under the protection of powerful legumes or ceiba on loose acidic soils, rich in humus and abundantly moistened. Does not tolerate rocky, poor or waterlogged soils. Single plantings die very quickly; the surface root system of trees needs proximity.

When planting plantations, the plots are carefully cleared of overgrowth of other species and plowed. Seeds are placed in the soil immediately after processing. The seedlings are arranged in rows. The distance between trees is 2.5–3 m, row spacing is 6–7 m. One hectare of area can accommodate about 500 specimens.

Hevea does not grow in temperate and even relatively warm subtropical climates. In greenhouses and greenhouses, breeding can only be justified by an interest in exotic crops. The plant is not particularly decorative and often dies.

Care

Row spacing on plantations is used to grow coffee, tea, pineapples or cocoa. This is done not so much to save space, but to create the necessary ground cover protection for the hevea and saturate the soil with nitrogen. Weeds, dried out plantings and dead trees are regularly cut down.

Hevea needs fertilizer every year. About 900 g of ammophos is added to each specimen. If the soil is alkaline, use a mixture of 1300 g of potassium chloride, 400 g of ammonium sulfate and 300 g of ammophos. Lack of nutrition affects the production of latex sap by plants. Trees grow slowly, stretching 4–5 cm per year.

Reproduction

To propagate Hevea, seed and vegetative methods are used. In the latter case, the buds of productive crops are grafted onto the trunks of a suitable rootstock. Planting material is grown in special nurseries. At the same time, they monitor the coincidence of the physiological rates of development of all elements. Seedlings are transferred to open ground at the age of 1.5–2 years.

Hevea brasiliensis(lat. Hēvea brasiliēnsis) - plant; a species of the Hevea genus of the Euphorbiaceae family, the main source of natural rubber.

The whey remaining after the rubber is separated contains about 0.6% protein and can be added to animal feed. The seeds contain 35-37% drying oil, suitable for the production of drying oil.

Hevea Brazilian tree description

An evergreen tree up to 20-30 m high. The trunk is straight, up to 30-50 cm thick, with whitish bark. All parts of the plant contain milky sap (latex).
The leaves are trifoliate, leathery, oval in shape with a pointed apex,
their length reaches 15 cm. They are collected in bunches at the ends of the branches. Hevea brasiliensis leaves change annually.
The plant is monoecious with unisexual flowers. The flowers are small, white-yellow, collected in loose clusters.
The fruit is a tricuspid capsule with three ovoid, 2.5-3 mm long, seeds with a dense shell.

Hevea brasiliensis is a plant of the humid tropics. For normal growth, Hevea requires a climate with a uniform average temperature of about 25-27 ° C and 1500-2000 mm of precipitation per year.
Hevea is not very demanding on soil, although it grows better in humus-rich soils with a high groundwater level. It is grown mainly on the plains and lower slopes of the mountains: in higher areas, tree growth slows down and the productivity of the plantation decreases.

The Pará rubber tree originally grew only in the Amazon rainforest. Increased demand and the discovery of vulcanization in 1839 led to a rubber boom in the region, enriching the cities of Berlen and Manus. The name of the tree comes from Para, the second largest Brazilian state, whose capital is Belém.
Hevea brasilensis trees were used to obtain rubber by the local people who inhabited these lands. Among the Olmec peoples who inhabited Mesoamerica at the time, rubber balls were found made from primitive rubber, which was obtained from latex-producing trees, these trees were called Castilla Elastica. The first mention of this plant was 3600 years ago. The ancient Olmecs used rubber balls used in Mesoamerican ball games.

The rubber content in the milky sap of this tree growing in the Amazon reaches 40-50%. The demand for rubber arose in the 19th century. and increased sharply after people learned how to produce rubber by discovering the vulcanization process. Rubber material has become widely used in many industries. In the middle of the 19th century. The Brazilian state of Para was considered the supplier of the best rubber, where it was obtained from the milky juice of the wild Hevea brasiliensis. In 1875, the British exported a large shipment of Hevea seeds from Brazil and began growing this tree in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Soon, the vast Hevea plantations in Southeast Asia began to produce rubber that was cheaper than that supplied from Brazil.

Hevea brasiliensis is native to South America, but subsequently the disease epiphytia practically destroyed the plant on the mainland. Even then, there was very high competition for Amazonian culture from the Hevea culture in Asia. Back in 1876, the British exported a large number of Hevea seeds from Brazil and planted this crop in Southeast Asia. Currently, Hevea brasiliensis is widely cultivated in tropical Asia. There are large plantations of Hevea brasiliensis in some African countries, such as Nigeria.

The places where Hevea brasiliensis grows are indicated in green.

Hevea brasiliensis occurred as a result of amphidiploidization from some two unknown diploid species.
The main Hevea hybrids planted on plantations are GT1 and RIM600. The planting density of Hevea GT1 hybrid seedlings is 555 pcs. per 1 hectare, and the Hevea hybrid RIM600 - 408 pcs. per 1 hectare. Both Hevea brasiliensis hybrids are drought resistant. During cultivation, the seedlings are treated with insecticides and herbicides during their growth period, especially during the monsoon period from July to November.

Hevea brasiliensis is a tree from which rubber is extracted - the main raw material for the production of rubber and rubber products. Natural latex obtained from Givea brasiliensis is used in the production of latex balloons.

The maximum productivity of a Hevea plantation of 2 tons of latex per 1 hectare is achieved in the 8th, sometimes in the 9th year after planting and lasts up to 30 years. In the subsequent period, the productivity of rubber extraction noticeably decreases to 1 ton. After 40 years of operation, the plantations are subject to cutting down.

To collect latex, fresh grooved, spiral cuts are made in the bark so as not to damage the cambium, and a cup is attached to the tree to collect the sap. Latex is released from the incision for 3-5 hours, and most intensely in the early morning. Latex is collected almost all year round, except during periods of intense leaf change and heavy rains.

Use of Hevea brasiliensis wood

Latex production decreases as the rubber tree ages. After the trees reach the age of 25-30 years, as a rule, Hevea brasiliensis, by this age, rubber releases very little. Old trees are cut down. Previously, all the wood from felled trees was burned in rubber sheet smokehouses. Today this wood is used to make furniture.

What are the benefits of solid hevea wood furniture?
For example, the small state of Malaysia. This country has large plantations of Hevea brasiliensis for rubber production. Furniture production made from this wood is very developed in Malaysia. Malaysia ranks tenth in the world's list of high-quality furniture exporters, with furniture exports worth $3 billion annually. The main reason for the developed furniture industry is the use of the so-called “golden wood” from which Malaysian furniture is made. The “golden tree” refers to the Hevea brasiliensis tree. That’s exactly what the Malaysians themselves call Hevea. We call it rubber tree.

Dishes made from natural materials (for example, clay or wood) always provide warmth. This is the warmth of nature itself. And such dishes are not only practical, safe and environmentally friendly, they will always decorate your kitchen.

What kind of tree is this - Hevea?

The Hevea tree, native to Brazil and Southeast Asia, is a plantation of artificially planted trees that display cut grooves. A cup is tied to the cuts, into which flows the milky sap of the tree - the raw material from which rubber is made. Thanks to natural rubber, Hevea wood is very durable; it is classified as Hardwood, a hard tree along with teak and oak. Rubber sap also protects the wood from insect pests; as a result, the inside of the tree is always intact and without damage. Trees produce sap at the age of 10-12 years and for 20-25 years. After the sap stops flowing, the trees are cut down. The logs are transported to a sawmill, where they are cut into boards and dried. In place of the felled trees, new ones are planted, which in 10 years will also begin to secrete sap.

At the factory, the boards are sanded and then cut into blanks depending on their purpose. Hevea has very dense light wood with cream and milky shades. Due to the fact that the moisture content of wood is only 8-10%, the material is resistant to temperature changes!!

gevey3Possessing the listed truly unique properties, hevea wood is an excellent material for the manufacture of durable kitchen utensils and small-sized furniture. It does not crack, does not dry out, and does not absorb moisture or odors.

Hevea products will decorate any kitchen interior and bring comfort and coziness into your life!

If we talk about kitchen utensils, cutting boards, bread bins, all kinds of hot stands, salad bowls and cutlery, cheese cutters, breakfast trays and tables, shelves, mills and spice sets are made from Hevea. All of the listed kitchen utensils should always be present in the kitchen of a practical housewife, especially those made from the natural material of the hevea tree, which is safe for human health.

Furniture made from natural wood is always a good choice, but it’s even better if it’s furniture made from high-quality material that will serve the owner for decades. Everyone knows about the excellent properties of oak, beech or ash wood, but for most consumers, products made from such material are simply unaffordable. Looking for an alternative, buyers increasingly began to notice good and fairly budget furniture made in Malaysia, made from rubber wood. Hevea solid wood is a relatively new material in the woodworking industry, but it has already proven itself well in the Western European and American markets. What kind of tree is this, where is it grown and how is it prepared for furniture production - this, as well as other useful information, is in our article.

Hevea - what kind of tree is this?

The Brazilian Hevea is the most popular species among the trees of the Hevea genus. There are about ten of them in total, but the Brazilian one is the most common and is grown on special plantations. It is cultivated in the countries of South America and Asia (Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia). Another name for this tree is Malaysian oak, and it is also known as rubber tree. Initially, the main purpose of Hevea cultivation was the extraction of rubber, from which latex is produced. For many years, the Hevea tree was not used as a raw material for the production of furniture or other interior items; it was simply burned.

Harvesting sap from this tree is a specific process. The trunk is excised in a special way and a container is placed next to the incision into which the valuable substance flows. A healthy tree is ready to produce rubber 5-6 years after planting, but within 25 years its reserves run out and the hevea is cut down. In place of the cut trees, a new planting is created. Since Hevea is grown specifically, the trees are not allowed to grow too much, and their trunks, as a rule, do not exceed 50 cm in diameter and 30 meters in height. However, if the rubber tree grows in the wild, its trunk can be up to one meter thick.

Quality of raw materials, their features

Hevea solid wood is a valuable wood. This is one of the varieties of mahogany, which is famous for its durability and beautiful appearance. It is not for nothing that Hevea is called Malaysian oak - the fact is that its wood is not inferior in density to European oak. It grows in a special tropical climate, where there is no change of seasons and strong temperature changes, and therefore there are practically no annual rings in the section of the Hevea trunk. Due to the fact that a certain percentage of rubber remains in the wood, it has a dense structure. Rubber holds the fibers of the trunk together, and it also prevents mold and pests from developing in them.

A distinctive feature of Hevea is that the color of the wood at its trunk changes from bottom to top. At the same time, the gradation of shades is noticeable to the naked eye - if at the root the wood has a creamy beige color, interspersed with brown veins, then in the middle part the trunk becomes perfectly beige, and in the upper part, near the crown, it becomes pale pink. After sanding, the wood is pleasant to the touch and has a soft shine. The texture of the wood is straight-grained, weakly expressed, it is quite dense and uniform - because of this, the wood can split if nails are driven into it. But with proper drying of the lumber, this drawback is completely eliminated. You can subsequently make any furniture from it: a bed, a chair, shelves, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, a table. Countertops are even made from solid hevea, including for bathrooms, because this material is not afraid of high humidity.

Making wood from rubber tree

If processed incorrectly, solid hevea will be unsuitable for making good furniture. The most important requirement for raw materials is its high-quality drying, during which almost all moisture is removed from the wood. According to standards, its amount should not exceed 10%. Manufacturers achieve this result by placing logs in chambers where high pressure is applied to them, pushing water out of the wood. Then the workpiece is impregnated with an antiseptic substance, which fills the voids in the structure of the tree formed as a result of oppression. If this is not done, the tree will quickly collapse.

Types of array

Hevea is grown in a number of Asian countries, but still the main exporter of hevea around the world is Malaysia. Tables, chairs, beds and cabinets sold in most furniture stores are made there. In this country, the woodworking industry has been declared a priority type of economic activity. Good working conditions have been created for the planters, but at the same time, the regulatory authorities put forward quite strict requirements for them regarding the quality of the material and products they make.

The best solid Hevea furniture is made from solid pieces of wood. There is also glued material, it is made from bars. To prevent the products from drying out and deforming, the bars must be well dried, because due to the rubber content in the wood fibers and their high level of moisture, they are difficult to glue. It is also worth noting that the geography of the tree’s growth is important. If it grew on rocky soil, then the wood will be harder than that of Hevea grown on black soil (on average, this figure varies between 3.5-4 HB).

Applying an Array

As we already mentioned, Hevea wood was originally used exclusively as a fuel material. Now its application is much wider and more diverse. The following products are made from it:

• furniture;
• parquet;
• toys;
• decorative figures and figurines;
• kitchen utensils;
• veneer for covering cabinet furniture;
• facing panels.

The unique texture of the wood allows for the finest carvings to be made. Thanks to this, craftsmen carve very beautiful furniture from solid hevea. Chairs and tables are covered with patterns, although, as a rule, manufacturers prefer not to hide the rich texture of wood behind excessive decor, simply covering the products with varnish.

Hevea furniture: types and advantages

This material is absolutely universal. Almost any kind of bed is made from it. A bed made of solid hevea looks especially interesting - it can be made in a modern or classic style. The stores offer single sets in which both cabinet and upholstered furniture are assembled from this wood.

Dining room and kitchen furniture sets are the most popular among buyers. These tables and chairs look great visually, in addition, they are well made and are stable and durable. Due to its immunity to moisture, Hevea products can be used not only in a dry room (bedroom, nursery or living room), but also in the kitchen and even in the bathroom.

How to care for Hevea furniture?

Special care for solid rubber wood is not required. It is enough to keep the furniture assembled from this material clean, and also try not to expose it to sudden temperature changes. Furniture sales experts also recommend humidifying the room in which Hevea products are installed. If the air in them is too dry, the wood can dry out and become deformed. You can avoid this by using a household air humidifier, and if you don’t have such a device at hand, it will be enough to place a vessel with water (a glass or a small jar) near the furniture. If the product has retractable elements (drawers, supports, etc.), then they can be periodically lubricated with ski paraffin.

Hevea is a genus of evergreen trees from the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes about 12 species. The most famous species, Hevea Brasiliensis, is widely recognized as the best rubber plant in the world.

Hevea is native to South America (Brazil); after some time it spread to other continents and countries. Hevea now grows in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia), South America (Bolivia, BBrazil, Peru, Colombia) and tropical Africa (Nigeria, Congo, Liberia). In the wild, Hevea brasiliensis is found in tropical jungles, it is actively grown on artificial plantations, and can also be seen in plant collections of botanical gardens.

The word "rubber" was invented by the Indians and translated means "tears of a tree" or "weeping tree" - from the Indian words kau (tree) and uchu (pla kat), because the sap dripping from the damaged tree reminded the Indians of tears.

Hevea grows best in the so-called rubber belt, 2,600 km wide along the equator, which is characterized by a warm, humid climate and fertile soil.

This is up a fairly tall tree (20-35 m, sometimes up to 50 m) with a straight, bare lower partand a trunk 30-50 cm in diameter, covered with brownish-gray bark. Hevea leaves are oval, slightly pointed, the flowers are light yellow, collected in bunches at the ends of the branches. In the bark of the trunk and branches there are many milky vessels through which latex (the milky juice of the Hevea tree) circulates. It is worth noting that it is precisely due to the presence of natural rubber in the structure of the wood, which holds the fibers together, that Hevea wood has high strength and durability, resistant to elevated temperatures, high humidity, pests and decay.

The main purpose of Hevea is the extraction of natural rubber, obtained from the milky sap by tapping. Hevea is now widely cultivated in Thailand. The main share of rubber comes from relatively large plantations, on the territory of which there are factories for processing the collected latex andproduction of sheet rubber.

The maximum productivity of rubber extraction is achieved in the 8th, sometimes in the 9th year after plantation establishment and persists for up to 30 years. After this, productivity decreases, so old trees must be cut down and young trees are planted in their place. A similar process occurs continuously over an area of ​​about 10 million hectares of land in Southeast Asia used for artificial plantations. As a result of this activity, the owners of hevea plantations receive not only valuable rubber, but also a huge amount of wood, which is used in the manufacture of various products. This is a unique waste-free production.

The Mayans learned to make balls from rubber sap and invented a game reminiscent of football. The unusual property of the balls to bounce off the ground prompted the priests to consider them magical. Rubber balls were used for magical rituals, and objects made from Hevea began to decorate temples and sanctuaries.

Today, rubber production has become one of the leading industries, and sales of wood and rubber products are an important export line for tropical countries, namely Thailand. That is why the “Golden Tree,” as the inhabitants of hot regions call the rubber tree, has the status of national treasure, and the export of Hevea seeds abroad is protected by law.

Hevea brasiliensis plantation on the island of Phuket, Thailand.

The discovery of rubber sparked a boom in rubber mining. At that time, Brazil was the only natural rubber producing country. It is not surprising that Brazil tried to protect the source of its wealth - the export of Hevea seeds and seedlings was prohibited under penalty of death. But a British spy, risking his life, managed to secretly smuggle about 70 thousand Hevea seeds into the famous Kew Botanical Gardens in the holds of his ship. Only about 2 thousand seedlings sprouted from the seeds and were distributed throughout the English colonies. Thus, unexpectedly for Brazil, the first rubber plantations were established in Southeast Asia.