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
Site of Ficus superba var. henneana tree a multi-stemmed specimen with stems straddling the site and adjacent properties. The combined trunk diameter exceeds . It is a young and healthy tree, considered against the maximum potential life expectancy for this genus. Based on the synconium being in pairs, the relatively-small size of fruit and presence of a drip tip (to the leaf) there is a reasonable likelihood that the earlier identification (of Ficus superba var.henneana) is now incorrect. Based on the features observed at the two inspections, it would appear that the tree is a white fig, "Ficus virens", probably planted after the first (colonial) settlement in