Bursera simaruba
Habitus
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Burseraceae Genus: Bursera Species: B. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its Sapindales (pronounced /sæpɪn'deɪliz/ last two syllables just like the word dailies ''Webster's Third New International Dictionary'' p Burseraceae is a moderately sized family of 17-18 genera and about 540 Species of Flowering plants The actual numbers differ according to the Bursera is a genus of about 40 species of Flowering plants in the family Burseraceae, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Americas simaruba
Binomial name
Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg.
Synonyms
Bursera gummifera Pistacia simaruba L. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Charles Sprague Sargent (April 21 1841-March 22 1927 was an American Botanist. In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon.

Bursera simaruba (Gumbo-limbo) is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas from the southeasternmost United States (southern Florida) south through Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil and Venezuela. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. In Biological classification, family ( Latin Burseraceae is a moderately sized family of 17-18 genera and about 540 Species of Flowering plants The actual numbers differ according to the The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the

Description

Leaves

It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 30 m tall, with a diameter of 1 meter or less at 1. 5 meters above ground^[1]. The bark is shiny dark red, the leaves are spirally arranged and pinnate with 7-11 leaflets, each leaflet broad ovate, 4-10 cm long and 2-5 cm broad. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. Pinnate is a term used to describe Feather -like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in Plant or Animal structures and comes

The Gumbo-limbo is often referred to as the Tourist Tree. The reason for this is the fact that the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of sunburnt tourists which are a common sight in the plant's range. A sunburn is a burn to living tissue such as Skin produced by overexposure to Ultraviolet (UV radiation commonly from the Sun 's rays ^[2]

Some ripe fruits are present year-round, but the main fruiting season is March and April in the northern part of the plant's range. The fruits are a small three-valved capsule encasing a single seed which is covered in a red fatty aril (seedcoat) of 5-6 mm diameter. In Botany a capsule is a type of simple dry Fruit produced by many species of Flowering plants A capsule is a dehiscent structure composed of two A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Distinguish from Aryl, which is a type of organic chemical radical Both ripe and unripe fruits are borne quite loosely on their stems and can spontaneously detach if the tree is shaken. Ripe capsules dehisce or are cracked open by birds. Dehiscence is the spontaneous opening at maturity of a plant structure such as a Fruit, Anther, or Sporangium, to release its contents Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Birds also seek out the fruit to feed on the aril, which though small is rich in lipids (about half its dry weight). Lipids are broadly defined as any fat- Soluble ( lipophilic) naturally-occurring Molecule, such as fats oils waxes cholesterol sterols fat-soluble ^[1][3]

"Tourist Tree" bark

Uses

Gumbo-limbo is a very useful plant economically and ecologically. Some people when they are trapped in the forrest use it to clean their rears. In cars they are air fresheners as well. It has well adapted to several kinds of habitats, which include salty and calcareous soils; it does not tolerate soggy soils though. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Due to this and its rapid growth, B. simaruba is planted for various purposes, notably in coastal areas. In addition, 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. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding Plantings may be due to 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 sizeable trees in a few years. A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary In addition, Gumbo-limbo wood is suitable for light construction^[4] and as firewood, and the tree's resin, called chibou, cachibou or gomartis^[2], is used as glue, varnish and incense. Resin, not to be confused with Rosin, is a Hydrocarbon Secretion of many Plants particularly coniferous trees. Incense is composed of Aromatic biotic materials It releases fragrant Smoke when burned ^[1][3]

The arils are an important source for birds, including many winter migrants from North America. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability Local residents such as the Masked Tityra, Bright-rumped Attila, Black-faced Grosbeak and, in Hispaniola, Palmchat, seem particularly fond of Gumbo-limbo fruit, as are migrants like the Baltimore Oriole or the Dusky-capped Flycatcher. UserPolbot. -->The Masked Tityra ( Tityra semifasciata) is a medium-sized Passerine Bird. The Bright-rumped Attila or Polymorphic Attila, Attila spadiceus, is a small Passerine Bird in the Tyrant flycatcher The Black-faced Grosbeak, Caryothraustes poliogaster, is a large Seed -eating Bird in the cardinal family, which is a resident Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous Island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of The Palmchat, Dulus dominicus, is a small long-tailed Passerine Bird, the only species in the genus Dulus and the family Dulidae The Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula, is a small icterid blackbird which is on average 18 cm long and weighs 34 g The Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Myiarchus tuberculifer, is a Passerine Bird in the Tyrant flycatcher family Especially for vireos such the Red-eyed Vireo, it appears to be a very important food at least locally and when ripe fruit are abundant. For the record label see Vireo Records The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized Passerine Birds restricted to the The Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus, is a small American Songbird, 13-14 cm in length Especially notable is the fact that many migrant species will utilize Gumbo-limbo trees that are in human-modified habitat, even in settlements. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. This creates the opportunity to attract such species to residential areas for bird watching, and to reduce the competition for Gumbo-limbo seeds in undisturbed habitat rarer local resident birds might face. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of Birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like Binoculars. In addition, Gumbo-limbo's rapid growth, ease and low cost of propagation, and ecological versatility make it highly recommended as a "starter" tree in reforestation, even of degraded habitat, and it is certainly does much better overall in such a role than most exotic species. Reforestation is the restocking of existing forests and woodlands which have been depleted with native tree stock ^[1]

The resin is also used as a treatment for gout, while the leaves are brewed into a medicinal tea^[3]. Gout (also called metabolic arthritis) is a disease created by a buildup of Uric acid. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Hexane extracts of the leaves have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties in animal tests. Hexane is an Alkane Hydrocarbon with the Chemical formula CH3(CH24CH3 or C6H14 Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces Inflammation. Gumbo-limbo bark is also considered an antidote to Metopium toxiferum which often grows in the same habitat and can cause extreme rashes just as the related poison ivy. Metopium toxiferum ( Poisonwood, Florida poisontree, Hog gum) is a species of tree found in Central America, southern Florida Given the eagerness with which some birds seek out the arils, it may be that these contain lipids or other compounds with interesting properties; these would probably have to be synthetically produced however because, though the crop of a single tree can be large (up to or even exceeding 15,000 fruits, translating into a raw lipid yield of over 200 grams per harvest^[1]) individual seeds are small and cumbersome to harvest.

References

55

References

• Christman, Steve (2004): Bursera simaruba on Floridata. Version of 2004-MAY-16. Retrieved 2007-SEP-16.
• Foster, Mercedes S. (2007): The potential of fruiting trees to enhance converted habitats for migrating birds in southern Mexico. Bird Conservation International 17(1): 45-61. doi:10.1017/S0959270906000554 PDF fulltext

External links

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Bursera simaruba. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. Retrieved 2007-SEP-16.
• Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex. Retrieved 2007-SEP-16.