Leeandra, if you do a search on the HP forum for "rubber tree" or "ficus elastica", you should come up with posts from user "Tapla"(real name is Al). He's an expert with these trees and has written tons of posts on your very question. Maybe if you also do search for his name "tapla", you'll narrow your search down some. Good Luck, GH

Hi, If it happened as soon as you bought it, pls. consider returning the plant to where you bought it. A plant that shows illness immediately is not something I'd investment my time or energy on, never mind money. I don't know what it is or how to fix it. I do know that's not looking good. I'd get my money back & go elsewhere. I wonder if that's fungal.

Where are you? I'm in Galveston. You can have as much of this tree as you want, it's trying to take over. Kind of hot to mail it but I'm willing to give it a shot. Tally HO!

Overexposure to sun affects plants differently than people/animals. In plants, overexposure causes a hyper-excitement of molecules in the plant's epidermal layer. As the molecules return to a less excited state, they release the same O- free oxygen radicals that are found in H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide). These free radicals attack pigments that are most susceptible to exposure, primarily chlorophyll, and oxidizes the pigment molecules. It actually bleaches/oxidizes the pigment by way of the very same mechanism that H2O2 bleaches hair, which is why the scientific name for sunburn in plants is photo-oxidation. The most common result is an initial gray or silver appearance of affected tissue that soon turns brown or black. You should look to something other than sunburn for the cause of the pinkish coloration. Sometimes a P deficiency can cause expression of the pigment anthocyanin, but a P deficiency is not the only suspect cause of purple leaves. Nearly any environmental condition that puts the brakes on growth (and the accompanying use of food (sugars), but does not limit sugar production (photosynthesis) can cause anthocyanin buildup and purple leaves. Very often too, when the more central part of the leaves are purple, an overly high level of Ca in the soil can be the suspect. Soil saturation also blocks uptake of P and Mg, which in concert can cause expression of anthocyanin in leaf tissues. Al