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
Lymire edwardsii Lymire edwardsii Lymire edwardsii, the rubber tree caterpillar or Edwards' wasp moth, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1881. It is found in southern Florida, United States. The wingspan is 35–40 mm. The wings are bluish gray. Adults are on wing year round. The larvae feed on "Ficus" species, including "Ficus pedunculata", "Ficus altissima", "Ficus aurea", "Ficus auriculata", "Ficus benghalensis", "Ficus benjamina", "Ficus continifolia", "Ficus elastica", "Ficus lyrata", "Ficus retusa" and "Ficus rubiginosa". They feed on leaf margins or create holes in the leaves. Full-grown larvae are pale yellow with four