''Hevea nitida'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of rubber tree in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

Hevea ''Hevea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, with about ten members. It is also one of many names used commercially for the wood of the most economically important rubber tree, '' H. brasiliensis''. The genus is n ...

'', belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...

. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree up to tall. It is native to the rainforests of northern Brazil and Colombia.

Description

''H. nitida'' is a medium-sized, evergreen tree growing to with a slender trunk and branching

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. The exception to this is the variety ''toxicodendroides'', which is a shrubby form only growing to about tall. The leaves have three, drooping, elliptical leaflets, that are folded upwards at the midrib; both upper and lower surfaces are glossy bright green. Male and female flowers are separate and borne in mixed panicles. The calyx lobes have blunt tips and the disks of both male and female flowers are markedly broad, and in the female flowers, lacerated. The fruit capsules are green with reddish tips and usually contain three large, rounded seeds.

Distribution and habitat

''H. nitida'' is found in northern Brazil and Colombia. It mostly occurs north of the Amazon River, and because of its habitat requirements for drier ground, its range is divided into a number of subpopulations mainly in the western half of the range of the genus. There are also populations south of the Amazon in northern Peru and near the lower reaches of the

Madeira River The Madeira River ( pt, Rio Madeira, link=no ) is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near or in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is ...

. It grows at altitudes of up to about above sea level, typically growing in sandy soil, in sparse, well-drained forest, but sometimes growing in areas briefly inundated in the wet season. The variety ''H. nitida'' var ''toxicodendroides'' only grows on the sandstone

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

s of the

Vaupés Department Vaupés may refer to: * Vaupés River Vaupés River (Uaupés River) is a tributary of the Rio Negro in South America. It rises in the Guaviare Department of Colombia, flowing east through Guaviare and Vaupés Departments. It forms part of the int ...

and

Amazonas Department Amazonas () is a department of Southern Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains the ...

in Colombia.

Uses

The seeds are poisonous when raw but can be eaten when well-boiled. Some native tribes consume them regularly, but others regard them as famine food only to be eaten at times of food scarcity. Tapping the tree gives a thin

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

that has the undesirable quality of preventing coagulation when mixed with the latex from other rubber tree species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15391684 Trees of the Amazon Trees of Brazil Trees of Colombia Trees of Venezuela Crotonoideae