The story of rubber

Vulcanization of rubber was developed in 1839, and the development of this process led to a huge increase in the exploitation of Amazonian trees. Supplies were soon inadequate to meet the demand. Sir Clements Markham and Sir Joseph Hooker arranged for a collection of seed from Brazil to be sent to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in 1873.

• Twelve small plants grown from these seed were dispatched to India and promptly died.

• A second consignment (1875) also failed.

In 1875 Hooker commissioned H. A. Wickham to collect 70,000 seeds, and they were sent by chartered ship to Liverpool and thence to Kew.

• By June, 1876 fewer than 4% of the seed had germinated.

• In August, 1876 the British Colonial Office shipped nearly 2000 seedlings in specially constructed glass cases to Ceylon. Kew sent an additional 22 to the Singapore Botanical Garden.

• In 1888, 20,000 seeds were harvested from the tress planted in Ceylon and shipped to Singapore.

• The first rubber plantation was established in Malaysia using these seeds in 1898, and Malaya quickly became the principal source of rubber for the world's industry.

• Attempts to establish plantations in South America have failed, because of a leaf blight.