Bursera simaruba

gumbo-limbo

Humorously referred to as the “tourist tree” because of its reddish peeling bark that resembles the skin of sunburned tourists in its native range, and yes, if you’re not careful you may end up learning the meaning of this name painfully well after a few days here in the sunny Florida Keys.

Gumbo-limbo is a relatively fast-growing tree that can be started simply by planting a small branch cutting in the soil. Because of this, gumbo-limbo is frequently used to create living fences in its native habitat. Ease of propagation and food value for both migratory and native birds also makes it a good candidate for reforestation projects.

Gumbo-limbos have aromatic sap that was used to make incense by the Mayans and is still produced for use in churches in the Caribbean and Central and South America. The sap is quite sticky, so it makes good glue substitute and was used by natives to coat their boats in order to protect them against shipworms, which burrow holes through the hulls. One method for processing the sap is as follows: “The trunk is notched and the resinous sap drains into gourds placed beneath. This is then boiled with water, the resin rising to the surface, where it is skimmed off and placed in cold water to harden. It is shaped into oblong blocks, very hard and brittle, which are wrapped in corn husks, tied at the ends with strips of corn husk, and in this form taken to market, to be used as incense in the churches.” Gumbo-limbo is in the Frankincense Family, which contains a number of different trees with aromatic resin, the best known being the frankincense trees (Boswellia spp.). Here is a video of how Arabians harvest sap from the trees to make incense:

The wood is very workable and was a favorite for use in making carousel horses in the United States before plastics became more widely used. Since the wood is also soft and light, it is one of the woods used by natives for making sandal soles in Guatemala.

Prior to scientific analysis for medicinal properties, societies throughout the world have assumed aromatic plant parts are medicinal. Sap from the gumbo-limbo is aromatic and, not surprisingly, was used extensively in medicine throughout its range. There is an interesting correlation between the number of names a plant has and its usefulness to humans. In traditional societies, plants are worth naming usually only if they are worth using or worth avoiding, so if a plant is named by many cultures or has been given several names within a single culture, it is most likely a useful plant. The gumbo-limbo has over 100 common names throughout its native range, and many uses have been documented related to these names.

The gumbo-limbo is a Florida Keys native growing up to 50 ft. and is quite at home in the thin soils here in the Keys. Although these trees are recommended for planting in southern Florida because of their wind-resistance, they have recently become a favorite target of a type of spiraling whitefly, which can partially defoliate trees and create a sticky mess underneath them. Fortunately, we have had moderate success at keeping them under control here at Kona Kai.

Most people don’t expect tropical trees to lose their leaves, but along with mahogany and frangipani, gumbo-limbo is one of the most noticeable deciduous trees found in the Keys.