Gumbo limbo tree

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 Gumbo limbo tree  Bursera simaruba

The gumbo limbo tree belongs to the family Burseraceae. 

The tree is a big semi-evergreen with a big crown which can reach up to sixty feet in height.  The branches and trunk are dense which are covered with sticky 

substance. The substance makes the bark have a varnished presence. The bark peels into thin strips. It has been nicknamed in Florida the tourist tree due to the peeling bark.

The gumbo limbo is native to Florida and is popular for carving modules.The tree is also abundant in the West Indies, Mexico and all over America. The tree has a good resistance to all types of weather even though they grow quickly and the wood is soft.The trees are able to cope and grow in low levels of alkaline or sandy areas but this does slow down the rate of growth. The way the trees are good at surviving extreme weathers is the trees have evolved certain features, to survive the drought to do drop their leaves. 

The trees have berries which have a small triangle shaped seed in the middle, the berries takes a twelve months to ripe and is fully mature in the summer months. 

The ideal conditions for the tree to grow is in direct or partial sunlight and in good drained soil. 

In some countries the bark is used in tribal and herbal medicines. In Belize the bark is used in skin infections like sores, sunburn, measles, rashes and bites. The bark can also aid in UTI (urinary track infections), colds, flu, fevers and to clean the blood. A small bit of bark, around 5cm is boiled in approximately one gallon of water for ten minutes and then it is drunk. It has  been suggested that the bark has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antivenin properties. 

Rain-tree.com, (2015). Tropical Plant Database entry for: Gumbolimbo - Bursera simaruba. [online] Available at: http://www.rain-tree.com/gumbo.htm#.VSEsqfnF88s [Accessed 5 Apr. 2015].

Watson, E. (2015). ENH263/ST104: Bursera simaruba: Gumbo Limbo. [online] Edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Available at: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st104 [Accessed 5 Apr. 2015].