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Among the rubber-yielding species introduced into South-East Asia was ''Hevea brasiliensis'' which was taken from Sri Lanka to Malaysia in 1882, and then to Singapore and Indonesia. In 1899 it produced the first rubber, which was traded on the world market. Between 1908 and 1912 during the "rubber boom" rubber plantations expanded rapidly in South-East Asia (Hübner, 1934). It had become apparent that the quality, yield and harvesting of the rubber of this species were far superior to those all other rubber-yielding species. Therefore, the exploitation of South-East Asian plants for rubber that had become important during the second half of the 19th Century, declined rapidly after the rubber boom and the species introduced to assess their value for rubber production were also abandoned, though some were occasionally maintained as ornamentals.
''Copernicia prunifera '' (Mill.) H.E.Moore, the "carnuaba" or "wax palm" from eastern Brazil, has also been tested in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, but the leaves have never been exploited for their wax. The "Chinese lacquer tree" ''Rhus verniciflua'' Stokes (syn. ''Rhus vernicifera'' DC.) was introduced into Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, but it failed in experimental plantations. ''Sideroxylon foetidissimum'' Jacq. (''Sapotaceae''), a tree of the West Indies which yields a type of chewing-gum, was also introduced into Malaysia, but with only moderate success (Burkill, 1966; Heyne, 1927).
Two endemic lianas, ''Chilocarpus costatus'' Miq. and ''C. vernicosus'' Blume (''Apocynaceae'') have been assessed for their rubber-yielding properties. However, they can only be tapped when 10 years old and although latex production is abundant it yields only little rubber, of inferior quality. In ''C. vernicosus'' 74% of the solid material in the latex is resin. ''C. denudatus'' Blume also contains latex but has never been assessed for its rubber (Burkill, 1966).
