Bursera simaruba
gumbo-limbo, tourist tree
Burseraceae
Plant Specifics
Form:
tree
Size:
20-30 (60) ft tall by 20-30 (50) ft wide
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
white,green,NA
Fruit Color:
brown
Phenology:
Briefly deciduous in late winter or drought.
Noted For:
Hurricane Wind Resistance, Interesting Bark
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Plant as a specimen tree to show off its bronze-colored peeling bark. Also makes a good shade tree.
Considerations:
Light:
Full Sun, Part Sun
Moisture Tolerance:
Usually moist, occasional inundation ---- to ---- Very long very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Unknown
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand, Lime Rock
Suitable to Grow In:
9B,10A,10B,11
Ecology
Wildlife:
Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds
Larval host for dingy purplewing ( Eunica monima )
Attracts bees and other insect pollinators
Kingbirds and other flycatchers eat the fruits ( IRC , Haehle and Brookwell 1999).
Native Habitats:
Moist hammocks, dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests, coastal uplands, urban areas
