Which tree species is the main commercial source of natural rubber?

Hevea brasiliensis is the main commercial source of natural rubber.

This South American tree is commonly called the Pará rubber tree. Its latex, a milky fluid found in specialized vessels beneath the bark, is collected by making shallow tapping cuts. The latex is then processed into natural rubber.

The species is native to the Amazon Basin, but large plantations were established in Southeast Asia after rubber seeds were taken from Brazil to Britain in the nineteenth century. Today, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are among the leading natural-rubber producers.

Hevea brasiliensis is not the only plant that yields rubber. Several other species can produce latex, including guayule and rubber fig, but the Pará rubber tree dominates global commercial production because of its yield and cultivation history.