166 TREES 



ent species botanists tave identified. The rubber plant, 

 popular in this country as a pot and tub plant, is one of the 

 best-known species. In its East Indian forest home it is 

 the *' Assam Rubber Tree." It may begin life as an air 

 plant, fixing its roots in the crotch of another tree, in 

 which a chance seed has lodged. A shock of aerial roots 

 strikes downward and reaches the ground. After this the 

 tree depends upon food drawn from the earth. The sup- 

 porting host tree is no longer needed. The young rubber 

 tree has by this time a trunk stiff enough to stand alone. 



Assam rubber, which ranks in the market with the best 

 Brazilian crude rubber, comes from the sap of this wild 

 ^g tree, Ficus elasticus. CKp off a twig of your leathery- 

 leaved rubber plant and note the sticky white sap that 

 exudes. In the highest priced automobile tires you find 

 the manufactured product. 



Dried figs have always been an important commercial 

 fruit. These imported figs are from trees that are horti- 

 cultural varieties of a wild Asiatic species, Ficus Carica. 

 Smyrna figs are best for drying. They form a delicious, 

 wholesome sweet, which has high food value and is more 

 wholesome than candy for children. Tons of this dried 

 fruit are imported each year from the countries east of 

 the Mediterranean Sea. Now California is growing 

 Smyrna figs successfully. 



The banyan tree of India is famous, striking its aerial 

 rootlets downward until they reach the ground and take 

 root, and thus help support the giant, horizontal limbs. 

 These amazing trees, members of the genus ficus, some- 

 times extend to cover an acre or more of ground. To walk 

 under one is like entering the darkness of a forest of young 

 trees. By the clearing away of most of these aerial 



