Castilla elastica Castilla elastica Castilla elastica, the Panama rubber tree, is a tree native to the tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It was the principal source of latex among the Mesoamerican peoples in pre-Columbian times. The latex gathered from "Castilla elastica" was converted into usable rubber by mixing the latex with the juice of the morning glory species "Ipomoea alba" which, conveniently, is typically found in the wild as a vine climbing "Castilla elastica". The rubber produced by this method found several uses, including most notably, the manufacture of balls for the Mesoamerican ballgame "ōllamaliztli". The Aztec
Ficus amplissima surface covered with annular scars and a pale yellow . "Ficus amplissima" typically begins as an epiphyte in the branch of a tree that grows aerial roots that can provide nutrients when they reach soil. The aerial roots can surround the trunk of the host tree, which, combined with the growth of "F. amplissima" in the branches, can eventually kill the host tree. "Ficus amplissima" displays a syconium type of inflorescence (arrangement of the flowers on a plant) borne by all figs (genus "Ficus"), formed by an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. It is