Ficus elastica leaves the latex of the plant oozing, is coated with cuttings hormones and tightly wrapped with moist foam. The whole is covered with a plastic film and left a few months at the end of which new roots have developed from the axillary buds. The stem is then weaned and the new plant can be repotted. All parts of the plant contain an abundant milky white latex, which has been tested for use in the manufacture of rubber, but without economic and technical results; the rubber is actually produced from the sap of the rubber tree . In cultivation, it
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