Plant care, sensed

Rubber plant

Ficus elastica

Ficus elastica, the rubber fig, rubber bush, rubber tree, rubber plant, or Indian rubber bush, Indian rubber tree, or rambung is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to eastern parts of South and Southeast Asia. Its common names reflect its historical use as a source of rubber within its native range, but it is not used in the modern commercial-scale production of natural rubber.

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Wikimedia Commons contributors

The sensor knows

What Orabee watches for on your rubber plant.

Each target is sourced from horticultural guidance, quoted in full so you can see exactly where the numbers come from.

Light
Bright light, not hot
“In cultivation, it prefers bright sunlight but not hot temperatures.”
From Wikipedia: Ficus elastica
Humidity
Prefers humidity; tolerates drought
“It has a high tolerance for drought, but prefers humidity and thrives in wet, tropical conditions.”
From Wikipedia: Ficus elastica

Orabee, translated

What each face means for rubber plant.

The mascot on the e-ink screen reflects what the sensor sees. Here’s when each expression shows up, and why.

Happy

Bright light, humid air, nothing too hot.

“In cultivation, it prefers bright sunlight but not hot temperatures.”

Thirsty

Air's gone dry; it copes, but prefers moisture.

“It has a high tolerance for drought, but prefers humidity and thrives in wet, tropical conditions.”

The grounding

Wikipedia’s care notes for rubber plant.

Quoted in full so you can see exactly what every Orabee target above is anchored to. Sourced from Wikipedia, released under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cultivation

In parts of India, people guide the roots of the tree over chasms to eventually form living bridges. To this day there are large bridges woven from aerial roots in Meghalaya, India. Although the trees used for these bridges are very large, aerial roots can be found on F.

Ornamental

Ficus elastica is grown around the world as an ornamental plant, outside in frost-free climates (though it also tolerates light frosts) from the tropical to the Mediterranean and inside in colder climates as a houseplant. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 10–12. Although it is grown in Hawaii, the fig wasp species required for natural reproduction is not present there.

Plant facts

Scientific name: Ficus elastica
Common name: Rubber plant
Good to know: TropicalDrought-tolerant

Care guidance from Wikipedia, released under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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