3/18/2023 0 Comments Gumbo limbo tree![]() ![]() The tree's resin, called chibou, cachibou or gomartis, is used as glue, varnish, and incense. It is rather brittle, although the trunk is used in Haiti to make drums and as firewood. Gumbo-limbo wood is suitable for light construction. 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. They may be planted to serve as wind protection of crops and roads, or as living fence posts, and if simply stuck into good soil, small branches will readily root and grow into sizable trees in a few years. 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. It grows rapidly and is well adapted to several kinds of habitats, which include salty and calcareous soils (however, it does not tolerate boggy soils). Gumbo-limbo is a very useful plant economically and ecologically. Gumbo-limbo, known as Copperwood in Jamaica, on the grounds of Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica Uses Birds also seek out the fruit to feed on the aril, which, although small, is rich in lipids (about half its dry weight). Ripe capsules dehisce or are cracked open by birds. Both ripe and unripe fruits are borne quite loosely on their stems and may detach spontaneously if the tree is shaken. The fruit is a small three-valved capsule encasing a single seed that is covered in a red, fatty aril (seedcoat) of 5–6 mm diameter. ![]() The tree yields some ripe fruit year-round, but the main fruiting season is March and April in the northern part of the tree's range. The gumbo-limbo is referred to, humorously, as the tourist tree because the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of the sunburnt tourists who are a common sight in the plant's range. The bark is shiny dark red, and the leaves are spirally arranged and pinnate with 7-11 leaflets, each leaflet broad ovate, 4–10 cm long and 2–5 cm broad. Specimens may be found along the western coast of Florida.īursera simaruba is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 30 meters tall, with a diameter of one meter or less at 1.5 meters above ground. Bursera simaruba is prevalent in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to mangroves. Terebinthus simaruba (L.) W.Wight ex Roseīursera simaruba, commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florida to Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.Bursera integerrima (Tul.) Triana & Planch.Researchers have reported in various studies that gumbolimbo bark has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antivenin actions. A strip of bark about 4 -5 cm x 30 cm is boiled in a gallon of water for 10 minutes for this local remedy and then used topically or drunk as a tea.Ī full chemical analysis of gumbolimbo has not been conducted as yet.īiological Activities and Clinical Research A bark decoction is also taken internally for urinary tract infections, pain, colds, flu, sun stroke, fevers and to purify the blood. Sores, measles, sunburn, insect bites and rashes. Rosita Arvigo reports that the bark is a common topical remedy in Belize for skin affections like skin In South Florida, gumbolimbo has been called the tourist tree because of its red, flaking skin. The tree is also found in southern Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Its leaves are 5-12 cm long and the tree produces small round fuits about 8 mm long. Gumbolimbo is a large tree up to 25 meters in height with red shaggy bark that peels off in paper thin strips. Common Name: Gumbolimbo, gumbo-limbo, West Indian birch, tourist tree, turpentine tree, gommier blanc, chaca, palo chino, palo mulato, palo jiote, carate, carana, Indio desnudo, almacigo, almacigo blanco, almacigo colorado, bois d'encens, chique, fragon caranne, gommier blanc, gommier rouge, jobo ![]()
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