A tropical South American tree species that produces natural rubber latex, most famously Hevea brasiliensis, which is the primary source of commercial rubber.
From Portuguese/Spanish adaptation of Tupi Indigenous word for the rubber tree; scientific genus name established in the 18th century.
The rubber industry literally changed the world because of one tree—Hevea brasiliensis—and in the 1800s, stealing seeds from Brazil to grow rubber in Southeast Asia was considered corporate espionage, creating a global economy around one plant.
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