| Bursera simaruba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Habitus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Burseraceae |
| Genus: | Bursera |
| Species: | B. simaruba |
| Binomial name | |
| Bursera simaruba | |
| Synonyms | |
List
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Bursera simaruba, commonly known asgumbo-limbo,the tourist tree,copperwood,almácigo,[3]chaca,West Indian birch,naked Indian, andturpentine tree, is a tree species in thefamilyBurseraceae, native to theNeotropics, fromSouth Florida toMexico and theCaribbean toBrazil,Nicaragua, andVenezuela.[2]Bursera simaruba is prevalent in thePetenes mangroves ecoregion of theYucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to themangroves.[4] In the United States, specimens may be found in theGulf of Mexico along the western coast of Florida.
Bursera simaruba is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 30 meters tall, with a diameter of one meter or less at1.5 meters above ground.[5] The bark is shiny dark red, and the leaves are spirally arranged andpinnate with 7-11 leaflets, each leaflet broad ovate, 4–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad.[6] Gumbo-limbo is semi-evergreen.[7]
In Florida, the tree is known by the common namethe tourist tree because the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of thesunburnt tourists who are a common sight in the plant's range.[8]
While the tree yields some ripe fruit year-round, the main fruiting season is March and April in the northern part of the tree's range. The fruit is a small three-valvedtop-shapedcapsule encasing a single seed that is covered in a red, fattyaril (seedcoat) of 5–6 mm diameter. Both ripe and unripe fruits are rather loosely attached at their stems, and may detach spontaneously if the tree is shaken. Ripe capsulesdehisce or are cracked open by birds. Birds will seek out the fruit to feed on the aril, which, although relatively small, is rich inlipids (about half itsdry weight).[5][9]
Gumbo-limbo is a very useful plant economically and ecologically. It grows rapidly and is well adapted to several kinds ofhabitats, which include salty and calcareous soils (however, it does not tolerate boggy soils). Gumbo-limbo is also considered one of the most wind-tolerant trees, and it is recommended as a rugged,hurricane-resistant species in South Florida. They may be planted to serve as wind protection of crops and roads, or aslive fence posts, and if simply stuck into good soil, small branches will readily root and grow into sizable trees in a few years. However, it has been noted in Central America that such posts do not produce a tap root, only side roots, thus questioning the real value of wind protection as those fence posts would not be so sturdy as a true, naturally occurring sapling. Gumbo-limbo wood is suitable for light construction. It is rather brittle, although the trunk is used inHaiti to make drums and as firewood.[10] The tree'sresin, calledchibou,cachibou orgomartis,[8] is used as glue, varnish, andincense.[5][9] In Sarasota, Florida, gumbo-limbo trees have been used as street trees along a commercial portion of Boulevard of the Arts because the roots do not create problems for sidewalks and utilities.
The arils are an important source of food for birds, including manywinter migrants from North America. Local residents such as themasked tityra,bright-rumped attila,black-faced grosbeak (and onHispaniola, thepalmchat), are particularly fond of gumbo-limbo fruit, as are migrants such as theBaltimore oriole or thedusky-capped flycatcher. It is an especially important local food source forvireos, such as thered-eyed vireo, when ripe fruit are abundant. Many migrant species will use gumbo-limbo trees that are in human-modifiedhabitat, even in settlements. This creates the opportunity to attract such species to residential areas forbird watching, and to reduce the competition for gumbo-limbo seeds in an undisturbed habitat that rarer local resident birds might face. Given the eagerness with which some birds seek out the arils, it may be that they contain lipids or other compounds useful to humans; in order for these to be exploited, however, they probably would have to be synthetically produced, because although the crop of a single tree may be very large (up to or even exceeding 15,000 fruits, translating into a raw lipid yield of more than 200 grams per harvest[5]), individual seeds are small and cumbersome to harvest.
Gumbo-limbo's rapid growth, ease and low cost of propagation, and ecological versatility makes it highly recommended as a "starter" tree inreforestation, even of degraded habitat, and it performs much better overall in such a role than most exotic species.[5][11]
The resin is used as a treatment forgout, while the leaves are brewed into a medicinal tea.[9]Hexane extracts of the leaves have been shown to possessanti-inflammatory properties in animal tests.[12][13] Gumbo-limbo bark is an antidote toMetopium brownei, also known as chechen tree, which can cause extreme rashes just as the relatedpoison ivy that often grows in the same habitat.[citation needed]
In YucatecMaya oral tradition, the chechém (Metopium brownei) and chaka (Bursera simaruba) trees originate from the legend of two brothers, Kinch and Tizic. The brothers, who embodied opposing natures (one gentle and one wrathful), fell in love with the same woman, Nicté-Ha. Their bitter rivalry culminated in a fatal battle where they died in each other's arms. With their final breaths, they begged the gods to let them see Nicté-Ha one more time. In answer, the deities transformed them into adjacent trees - the poisonous chechém representing the violent brother and the medicinal chaka representing the peaceful one - while Nicté-Ha became their shared flower, forever binding the three together.[14]
