Gumbo limbo trees are big, very fast growing, and interestingly shaped natives of southern Florida. These trees are popular in hot climates as specimen trees, and especially for lining streets and sidewalks in urban settings. Keep reading to learn more gumbo limbo info, including gumbo limbo care and how to grow gumbo limbo trees.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Bursera simaruba, commonly known as gumbo-limbo, copperwood, almácigo, 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 simaruba is prevalent in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to the mangroves. In the United States, specimens may be found in the Gulf of Mexico along the western coast of Florida.
Bursera 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. 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. Gumbo-limbo is semi-evergreen.
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.
While the tree yields some ripe fruit year-round, the main fruiting season is March and April in the northern part of the tree’s range. The fruit is a small three-valved top-shaped capsule encasing a single seed that is covered in a red, fatty aril (seedcoat) of 5–6 mm diameter. Both ripe and unripe fruits are rather loosely attached at their stems, and may detach spontaneously if the tree is shaken. Ripe capsules dehisce or are cracked open by birds. Birds will seek out the fruit to feed on the aril, which, although relatively small, is rich in lipids (about half its dry weight).
II. How to Grow and Care
Gumbo limbo is a hardy tropical plant that typically requires minimal care, making it an easy species to maintain. Key care points include providing full sunlight and ensuring well-draining soil to mimic its natural habitat. Gumbo limbo is also notably drought-tolerant, but regular watering during extended dry periods will support its health. Special care should be taken to avoid cold temperatures as gumbo limbo has limited frost tolerance.
Sunlight
Gumbo limbo thrives in conditions of full sun, where it can receive unfiltered and intense light throughout the day. This ensures vigorous growth and optimal health for the plant. While gumbo limbo is capable of tolerating partial sun, its growth may not be as robust compared to when situated in full sun. In terms of specific adaptive traits, gumbo limbo can regulate leaf orientation and may exhibit leaf color shifts to cope with various light exposures, optimizing its photosynthetic efficiency. For outdoor planting, gumbo limbo should be positioned in locations where it will receive plenty of direct sunlight, which reflects its natural habitat and fosters its resilience and growth.
Watering
Adapted to its native tropical climate, gumbo limbo thrives in environments with high humidity and regular rainfall. This species is characterized by a preference for moderate moisture levels and can tolerate brief periods of drought. Its watering regimen should reflect a balance, typically requiring hydration once every 1-2 weeks. As an outdoor plant that often faces varying weather conditions, gumbo limbo demonstrates resilience by adjusting its water uptake during the growing season to optimize health and vitality.
Soil
Gumbo limbo performs best in a wide range of moist to dry, well-drained soils. It tolerates drought and moderate amounts of salt spray. It also adapts to alkaline or poor, deep white sands but will grow quickly on more fertile soil.
Fertilizing
To boost gumbo limbo’s growth, apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer quarterly, particularly during the active growing seasons of spring and summer. About one pound per inch of trunk diameter at chest height is suitable. Fertilization enhances gumbo limbo’s vigor, foliage density, and resilience. In dormant periods, reduce feeding. Always water gumbo limbo after fertilizing to aid nutrient absorption and prevent root burn. Utilize a slow-release formula to ensure a steady nutrient supply. Note that over-fertilization can harm gumbo limbo, so adhere to guidelines.
Pruning
Needs little pruning to develop a strong structure. Occasional pruning to remove the lower branches that may droop close to the ground. The strong roots can lift sidewalks, crack roads, and can be a tripping hazard.
Propagation
Gumbo limbo can be propagated through hardwood cuttings, layering (air), and sowing seeds. These methods are most successful during the autumn and winter seasons. Propagation difficulty can vary depending on the method used, but signs of successful propagation include the development of new roots and shoots. It is important to keep the soil moist during propagation and to handle the cuttings with care to avoid damaging them.
Transplanting
Transplant gumbo limbo in the zenith of summer warmth for optimal acclimation. Select a sunny, well-draining spot. Ensure adequate space to accommodate its growth. A gentle hand when handling roots promotes successful establishment.
III. Uses and Benefits
Gumbo-limbo is a very useful plant economically and ecologically. 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 also considered one of the most wind-tolerant trees, and it is recommended as a rugged, hurricane-resistant species in South Florida. 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. 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. Gumbo-limbo wood is suitable for light construction. It is rather brittle, although the trunk is used in Haiti to make drums and as firewood. The tree’s resin, called chibou, cachibou or gomartis, is used as glue, varnish, and incense. In Sarasota, Florida, gumbo-limbo trees have been used as street trees along a commercial portion of Boulevard of the Arts because the roots do not create problems for sidewalks and utilities.
The arils are an important source of food for birds, including many winter migrants from North America. Local residents such as the masked tityra, bright-rumped attila, black-faced grosbeak (and on Hispaniola, the palmchat), are particularly fond of gumbo-limbo fruit, as are migrants such as the Baltimore oriole or the dusky-capped flycatcher. It is an especially important local food source for vireos, such as the red-eyed vireo, when ripe fruit are abundant.
Many migrant species will use gumbo-limbo trees that are in human-modified habitat, even in settlements. This creates the opportunity to attract such species to residential areas for bird watching, and to reduce the competition for gumbo-limbo seeds in an undisturbed habitat that rarer local resident birds might face.
Given the eagerness with which some birds seek out the arils, it may be that they contain lipids or other compounds useful to humans; in order for these to be exploited, however, they probably would have to be synthetically produced, because although the crop of a single tree may be very large (up to or even exceeding 15,000 fruits, translating into a raw lipid yield of more than 200 grams per harvest), individual seeds are small and cumbersome to harvest.
Gumbo-limbo’s rapid growth, ease and low cost of propagation, and ecological versatility makes it highly recommended as a “starter” tree in reforestation, even of degraded habitat, and it performs much better overall in such a role than most exotic species.
The resin is used as a treatment for gout, while the leaves are brewed into a medicinal tea. Hexane extracts of the leaves have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties in animal tests. Gumbo-limbo bark is an antidote to Metopium brownei, also known as chechen tree, which can cause extreme rashes just as the related poison ivy that often grows in the same habitat.
