Castilla rubber

Castilla elastic tree

Description

A rubbery exudation obtained from the Castilla elastica tree native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Castilla rubber was used by the Maya and Caribbeans. Later, when it was cultivated in Panama for exportation, it became known as Panama rubber. The latex and rubber are identical to hevea rubber after purification (Brady 1971).

Synonyms and Related Terms

Castilla elastica; caucho de Castilla (Esp.); Panama rubber; castilloa, castila (sp.)

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 675

• Meredith Montague, contributed information, 1998