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I purchased this plant about a couple weeks ago and when purchasing I saw these strange tiny black spots underneath the leaves but I went ahead and purchased anyways since it was the last one left.
Could someone please help me identify what these spots are? Thank you so much
By the look of it they could be mealybugs (a suspicion supported by the yellow "spots" as well, which is exactly how their larvae look, the plant might also be covered in a sugary substance that's excreted by these bugs). They're nasty little creatures that are REALLY hard to get rid of. Pour some rubbing alcohol on a piece of clothing or tissue (if you have any; if you don't, try some dishwasher soap instead) and gently try to rub those spots off. If they do rub off indeed, it's a mealybug infestation. If that's the case, keep rubbing until all these spots (including the yellow dots) are gone and make sure to check both sides of all the leaves. Also keep checking the leaves every now and then for the next couple of weeks to see whether any of them have escaped your treatment and if so, rub them off again using the same method as above. Unfortunately mechanical removal is the most efficient method of getting rid of them (their wax shield makes them extremely resistant to most of the pesticides out there).
The spots are called cystoliths that won't harm the plant. It's a natural process along the cell wall of the leaves, in which almost all Rubber trees obtain. They're not pests or larvae, so there's no need to worry!!
