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Origin of Rubber
The origin of rubber is traced to the domestication of a single Amazonian species, Hevia brasilensis. Hevia brasilensis is a flowering plant that belongs to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
The rubber tree grows in tropical regions such as Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. The Rubber tree likes low altitude moist forest, wetlands, and disturbed areas. The rubber tree is also the major source of natural rubber. When harvested, rubber drips in the form of latex and comes out as a milky white colloid color.
How rubber is harvested from the tree (Rainforest Alliance)
Image depicting people tapping latex from the rubber tree.
The use behind rubber goes back as early as 1600 BC, with archaeologists finding examples of rubber use in Latin America. In Mexico around 1500 BC to 400 BC, the Olmec civilization translates to the "rubber people''. The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec used to use latex saps as rubber balls, latex clothes and homemade shoes. In addition, rubber has been used for generations by Indigenous rainforest dwellers of South America, but it wasn't until 1839 that it had its first application in the industrial world. When US chemist Charles Goodyear accidentally dropped rubber and sulfur on a hot stove top, it created a char like leather that was plastic and elastic like. Goodyear discovered how to vulcanise rubber, making rubber more functional. From then on in the late 19th century, the demand for rubber soared. The rubber tree grows in tropical regions, and is the major source of natural rubber. In the past century, due to traditional breeding, the latex yield has increased.
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