rubber plant

American  

noun

1. a plant, Ficus elastica, of the mulberry family, having oblong, shining, leathery leaves, growing native as a tall tree in India, the Malay Archipelago, etc., used as a source of rubber and cultivated in Europe and America as an ornamental house plant.

2. any plant yielding caoutchouc or India rubber.

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rubber plant British  

noun

1. a moraceous plant, Ficus elastica , with glossy leathery leaves: a tall tree in India and Malaya, it is cultivated as a house plant in Europe and America

2. any of several tropical trees, the sap of which yields rubber See also rubber tree

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Etymology

Origin of rubber plant

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Five easy-to-grow plants recommended by RHS include the Madagascar dragon tree, English ivy, rubber plant, Boston fern and Sansevieria trifasciata.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

A federal judge has approved a settlement under which a synthetic rubber plant will pay $3.3 million in fines and $650,000 for improved air monitoring in several southwest Louisiana locations, officials said Tuesday.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2022

This fake rubber plant is 25 inches tall.

From Washington Post • Oct. 26, 2021

The primary cause of this elevated risk is emissions from a synthetic rubber plant, the Pontchartrain Works facility, operated by the Japanese chemicals giant Denka.

From The Guardian • Oct. 24, 2019

I have named this one Torontodalisque: Homage to Ingres, because of the pose, and the rubber plant like a fan behind her.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood