Ficus elastica prefers bright sunlight but not hot temperatures. It has a high tolerance for drought, but prefers humidity and thrives in wet, tropical conditions. Ornamental hybrids (such as Robusta) have been derived from "Ficus elastica" with broader, stiffer and more upright leaves than the wild form. Many such hybrids exist, often with variegated leaves. "Ficus elastica" yields a milky white latex, a chemical compound separate from its sap and carried and stored in different cells. This latex was formerly used to make rubber, but it should not be confused with the Pará rubber tree, the main commercial source of latex for
Ficus macrophylla botanist Charles Moore described "Ficus columnaris" in 1870 from material collected from Lord Howe Island, choosing the species name from the Latin "columnaris" for the column-like roots. English botanist E. J. H. Corner reduced this to synonymy with "F. macrophylla" in 1965, before P. S. Green noted it was distinct enough for subspecies status in 1986. Australian botanist Dale J. Dixon reviewed material and felt the differences too minor to warrant subspecific status, and recognised two forms: "Ficus macrophylla" f. "macrophylla", a free-standing tree endemic to mainland Australia; and "Ficus macrophylla" f. "columnaris", a hemiepiphyte lacking a distinct main trunk