Common Name:

gumbo-limbo, tourist tree

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Bursera simaruba

Family:

Burseraceae

Form:

tree

Size:

20-30 (60) ft tall by 20-30 (50) ft wide 

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, green

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

briefly deciduous in late winter or during drought

Noted For:

Recommended Uses:

Plant as a specimen tree to show off its bronze-colored peeling bark. Also makes a good shade tree.

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Cuttings and seed. Branches that are stuck into the ground can root, but those started from seed will have a better shape.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Very long very dry periods

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Lime Rock, Humus (organic, upland)

Soil pH:

calcareous (high pH)

Suitable to Grow In:

9B, 10A, 10B, 11

Wildlife:

Kingbirds and other flycatchers eat the fruits (IRC, Haehle and Brookwell 1999).

Larval host for dingy purplewing (Eunica monima) (IRC). Attracts bees and other insect pollinators.

Native Habitats:

Moist hammocks, dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests, coastal uplands, urban areas

Natural Range in Florida:

Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This tree has a thick trunk and both the trunk and branches can twist into interesting shapes. The bark is red to bronze and peels. It's also called the tourist tree, after sun-baked visitors who also may be reddish and peeling.