Hevea is a genus of evergreen trees from the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes about 12 species. The most famous species, Hevea Brasiliensis, is widely recognized as the best rubber plant in the world.
Hevea is native to South America (Brazil); after some time it spread to other continents and countries. Hevea now grows in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia), South America (Bolivia, BBrazil, Peru, Colombia) and tropical Africa (Nigeria, Congo, Liberia). In the wild, Hevea brasiliensis is found in tropical jungles, it is actively grown on artificial plantations, and can also be seen in plant collections of botanical gardens.
The word "rubber" was invented by the Indians and translated means "tears of a tree" or "weeping tree" - from the Indian words kau (tree) and uchu (pla
kat), because the sap dripping from the damaged tree reminded the Indians of tears.
Hevea grows best in the so-called rubber belt, 2,600 km wide along the equator, which is characterized by a warm, humid climate and fertile soil.
This is up a fairly tall tree (20-35 m, sometimes up to 50 m) with a straight, bare lower partand a trunk 30-50 cm in diameter, covered with brownish-gray bark. Hevea leaves are oval, slightly pointed, the flowers are light yellow, collected in bunches at the ends of the branches. In the bark of the trunk and branches there are many milky vessels through which latex (the milky juice of the Hevea tree) circulates. It is worth noting that it is precisely due to the presence of natural rubber in the structure of the wood, which holds the fibers together, that Hevea wood has high strength and durability, resistant to elevated temperatures, high humidity, pests and decay.
The main purpose of Hevea is the extraction of natural rubber, obtained from the milky sap by tapping. Hevea is now widely cultivated in Thailand. The main share of rubber comes from relatively large plantations, on the territory of which there are factories for processing the collected latex andproduction of sheet rubber.
The maximum productivity of rubber extraction is achieved in the 8th, sometimes in the 9th year after plantation establishment and persists for up to 30 years. After this, productivity decreases, so old trees must be cut down and young trees are planted in their place. A similar process occurs continuously over an area of about 10 million hectares of land in Southeast Asia used for artificial plantations. As a result of this activity, the owners of hevea plantations receive not only valuable rubber, but also a huge amount of wood, which is used in the manufacture of various products. This is a unique waste-free production.
The Mayans learned to make balls from rubber sap and invented a game reminiscent of football. The unusual property of the balls to bounce off the ground prompted the priests to consider them magical. Rubber balls were used for magical rituals, and objects made from Hevea began to decorate temples and sanctuaries.
Today, rubber production has become one of the leading industries, and sales of wood and rubber products are an important export line for tropical countries, namely Thailand. That is why the “Golden Tree,” as the inhabitants of hot regions call the rubber tree, has the status of national treasure, and the export of Hevea seeds abroad is protected by law.
Hevea brasiliensis plantation on the island of Phuket, Thailand.
The discovery of rubber sparked a boom in rubber mining. At that time, Brazil was the only natural rubber producing country. It is not surprising that Brazil tried to protect the source of its wealth - the export of Hevea seeds and seedlings was prohibited under penalty of death. But a British spy, risking his life, managed to secretly smuggle about 70 thousand Hevea seeds into the famous Kew Botanical Gardens in the holds of his ship. Only about 2 thousand seedlings sprouted from the seeds and were distributed throughout the English colonies. Thus, unexpectedly for Brazil, the first rubber plantations were established in Southeast Asia.
Hevea brasiliensis (lat. Hevea brasiliensis) is a species of evergreen tree in the Euphorbiaceae family. Mature trees grow up to 20-30 meters in height. The straight trunk of Hevea, up to 30-50 cm thick, is covered with whitish bark. The tree is distinguished by the presence of milky sap (latex) in all parts. Trifoliate, leathery leaves up to 15 cm long have an oval shape with a pointed apex and are collected at the ends of the branches in the form of bunches. Hevea brasiliensis leaves change annually.
The plant is monoecious with unisexual small, white-yellow flowers, collected in loose clusters. Hevea fruits have the shape of a tricuspid capsule with 3 ovoid seeds with a dense shell, 2.5 - 3 mm long.
Hevea is native to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon River Valley. In 1876, the British transported large quantities of its seeds to Ceylon, India and Indonesia. Currently, the breed is widely cultivated in tropical Asia (Sri Lanka, the Malay Archipelago, the Malay Peninsula), Brazil and African countries (Nigeria). Wood is the main source of natural rubber, and Malaysia receives consistently large volumes of wood from rubber plantations and is the largest supplier of latex. Only young trees are suitable for collecting sap, so mature trees must be cut down. Hevea wood and its products, along with rubber, are an important part of Malay exports, which is why the Malays call Hevea the “golden tree”. The rubber content in the juice of Hevea from the Amazon reaches 40-50%, and its share in the world production of natural rubber is 90-92%.
The texture of Hevea wood is weakly expressed, since it does not have annual rings formed from the change of seasons. The wood has a noble, soft creamy hue, the root part is permeated with small brown veins. The middle part has a uniform cream color, turning closer to the crown into light pink. The difference in shades allows you to create exclusive furniture through the use of parts of different shades and textures.
The presence of natural rubber in the wood structure, which holds the fibers together, makes Hevea products especially durable. Hevea is not inferior in strength to European oak. Hevea wood belongs to the family of mahogany species, including pyankado, keruyang, teak, napauk, thinwin, etc. These species are characterized by resistance to decay, high hardness and strength of the wood, durability and excellent workability.
In ancient times, magical properties were attributed to Hevea wood, and special ritual things were made from it. Hevea was also used to carve decorative figures, openwork frames for paintings, and decorated furniture with skillful carvings, which, thanks to their elegant patterns, had a unique charm. Nowadays, beautiful and especially durable parquet, decorative finishing panels, and kitchen utensils are also produced from Hevea.
Hevea is used to make furniture that is highly durable, does not rot, and is resistant to pests.
Hevea wood is very dense, similar in structure to mahogany, and practically does not absorb moisture, which makes gluing difficult.
In the bark of the trunk and branches there are many milky vessels through which latex (the milky juice of the Hevea tree) circulates. It is worth noting that it is precisely due to the presence of natural rubber in the wood structure, which holds the fibers together, that Hevea wood has high strength and durability, resistant to elevated temperatures, high humidity, pests and rotting. This is why furniture made from Hevea has such high strength - it is classified as hardwood. Hevea is not inferior in strength to European oak.
Hevea wood has a weak texture, as it does not have annual rings formed from the changing seasons. In places where Hevea grows, the tropical climate is always the same and temperature changes are extremely insignificant.
This noble tree has wood of a soft cream color, which is permeated with small brown veins at the roots, and above it has an even cream color, turning into light pink closer to the crown.
All these features allow you to create exclusive furniture by playing with the texture of wood and its various shades. The hardness of wood allows designers to embody fantastic shapes, and furniture makers to achieve smooth lines and exquisite shapes.
Malaysian furniture made from solid Hevea.
Malaysia is far from the most famous country on the world stage, but despite this it is one of the largest exporters of furniture in the world (currently approximately $3 billion per year). Such a leap in the development of the furniture industry in Malaysia occurred thanks to Hevea, although the local population prefers to call it the “Golden Tree”. In our country, this tree is better known as rubber.
History of the "Golden Tree"
Once upon a time, Hevea was valued thanks to the rubber that was obtained from its juice, and rubber was directly valuable as the raw material from which rubber was produced. Nowadays, Hevea wood is more in demand. Not only furniture is made from it, but also parquet boards, and even kitchen utensils, and, of course, wooden products. The greatest demand is for beds, tables and chairs (both individually and as dining sets), chests of drawers, coffee tables, and bedside tables.
Hevea itself comes from Brazil; for a long time, the penalty for exporting the seeds of this amazing tree was death. But they paid very well for rubber, and this ultimately played a role. One European, whose name has sunk into oblivion, nevertheless managed to smuggle a thousand Hevea seeds, which were then distributed throughout the English colonies, including Malaysia, where this tree took root perfectly.
Benefits of Hevea:
· Since Hevea is a rubber plant, it is not susceptible to attacks from insects, and due to this, this tree has no defects from insects that could in one way or another spoil the wood.
· Amazing strength - in terms of its hardness, Hevea can compete at a decent level with such species as oak, and this means a lot. In addition, the hardness of Hevea allows for the finest carvings on it, i.e. make extremely beautiful products, which you can see for yourself by clicking on this
· Hevea grows in the tropics, where a tree that cannot withstand temperature changes and high humidity simply cannot survive; therefore, all furniture made from it has these properties.
· Furniture made from solid hevea is extremely frost-resistant, because after drying this wood has a moisture content of 10-15% and therefore will not crack in the cold.
· Since Hevea wood is thoroughly impregnated with rubber sap (which, as is known, repels moisture), Hevea furniture is absolutely not afraid of dampness.
Aesthetics.
The texture of the tree itself has practically no annual rings, which looks very beautiful in finished products. After all, if the USA and Great Britain purchase furniture for bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms in huge volumes, this already says a lot about the quality of furniture made from natural wood.
Problems with natural wood furniture
Well, in conclusion, a little about the not entirely positive aspects. As you know, the popularity of any high-quality furniture (as well as any other product) is followed by someone’s desire to get rich from it. Well, as it’s not hard to guess, a lot of companies are also appearing that are engaged in counterfeiting “Hevea”. We analyzed more than 20 negative reviews about Hevea furniture on forums and social networks, and came to the following conclusion - all the main problems, and there are many of them. For example, for some, this furniture dried out, and for some, it turned out to be ordinary veneered MDF, and as a result, it could not withstand changes in temperature and humidity.
So - the problem is actually that the people who bought this furniture did not know that solid hevea furniture is officially imported into Ukraine by the only supplier ™ Domini , of which Furniture Question is a certified partner. And we can guarantee that if you want to buy furniture from solid Hevea, you will really get this furniture, and not just another handicraft fake, with which the market is simply overflowing these days.
“Furniture Question” is truly European quality and level of service at the lowest prices in Ukraine.
www.anfloors.ru/ catalog/category/100029
Hevea ( Hevea brasiliensis) is an evergreen rubber tree, reaching 18-30 m in height and 0.6-0.9 m in diameter. It grows naturally in the tropical rainforests of South America. Cultivated in many tropical countries, especially Malaysia.Properties of Hevea wood
Wood Hevea light, medium density. The strength is not inferior to European wood. The high strength is explained by the presence of natural rubber in the wood structure, which holds the fibers together.
Low resistance to rot and insect damage. Without special treatment it quickly deteriorates.
Wood Hevea easy to process, gives a smooth surface when planed. It may split when hammering nails into it. Previously, figures were cut out of it, openwork frames were made for paintings, and furniture was decorated with elaborate craftsmanship.
dom-sweet-dom.ru/2897-mebel-iz-gevei.html
www.ideas-for-house.ru/mebel-iz-gevei/
Hevea wood color and texture
Hevea belongs to the group of mahogany species. The wood of the lower part of the trunk is painted a soft cream color and penetrated with small brown veins, and above it has an even cream color, turning into light pink closer to the crown. This difference makes it possible to create exclusive furniture by playing with the texture of wood and its various shades. Wood Hevea o It has a straight-fiber, weakly expressed, homogeneous texture.
