Question: Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone teamed up in Fort Myers to find a homegrown source of rubber. Which common plant did Edison pick?
Answer: Goldenrod. After World War I, worried about America’s dependence on foreign rubber, the three men formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation in Fort Myers in 1927. Edison’s botanical laboratory tested more than 17,000 plant samples for latex, and goldenrod came out on top. His team even crossbred it to boost its rubber content.
