Bursera simaruba

Bursera simaruba

Bursera simaruba, the white rubber tree or American balsam, jokingly known as tourist tree (because of the reddish, peeling bark and the resulting possible association with severe sunburn), is a plant that belongs to the family of the balsam tree family ( Burseraceae ).

Description

It is a deciduous, medium-sized tree, reaching heights of growth of 6-15 m and trunk diameter of up to 90 cm. The trunk is covered with a reddish, flaking bark. The branches are long and irregular and form a rounded crown. The pinnate leaves are 10-20 cm long and consist of three to seven or more oval or elliptical leaflets 2-5 cm. The white rubber tree loses its leaves in the spring just before the new leaves appear.

It blooms in winter in racemose inflorescences. The little showy flowers have from three to five greenish petals. The species occurs in Florida, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia. It provides the Gomartharz used for the preparation of varnishes. In Central America, the Gomartharz finds use in folk medicine.