| Common Name: |
Gumbo Limbo |
| Scientific Name: |
Bursera simaruba |
| Hardiness Zone: |
Zone 10B through 11 |
| Family: |
Burseraceae |
General Information
This large semievergreen tree, with an open, irregular to rounded crown, may reach 60 feet in height with an equal or wider spread but is usually seen smaller (25 to 40 feet tall and 25 to 30 feet wide) in landscape plantings. The tree typically develops from two to four, large-diameter limbs originating close to the ground. A native of south Florida and the tropical offshore islands, the soft, light-weight and easily carved wood of gumbo-limbo was used for making carousel horses before the advent of molded plastics.
Basic Care
| Bark Characteristics: |
The trunk and branches are thick and are covered with resinous, smooth, peeling coppery bark with an attractive, shiny, freshly-varnished appearance. |
| Leaf/Foliage Characteristics: |
Semi-evergreen leaves alternate, shape is ovate, elliptic, 2-4 inches in length, odd-pinnately compound. |
| Growth Characteristics |
Growth rate is rapid and wood is soft, gumbo-limbo trees have great resistance to strong winds, drought, and neglect. Drought avoidance is accomplished by leaf drop and growth is often best in drier locations not receiving irrigation. Protect below 45 F. |
| Flower/Fruit Characteristics: |
Greenish white flowers appear in the spring, followed by red, three-sided berries which split into three sections at maturity to reveal a 1/4-inch triangular red seed. The fruit takes a year to ripen and matures in early summer. |
| Lighting: |
Full Sun |
| Watering: |
Regular watering with a well draining soil will promote best growth. |
| Feeding: |
The tree likes to fed, use a well balanced fertilizer; underfeeding will cause leaves to turn yellow. |
| Pruning/Wiring: |
The tree will tolerate severe pruning, wood hardens and becomes brittle, wire branches when still green, being careful not to allow wire to bite too hard into branches. Clip and grow methods have been successful at reducing leaf size, when done often. Leave a small stub when trimming, as dieback will occur. |
| Propagation: |
By seed, hardwood cuttings. |
| Potting: |
May be repotted each year, when nighttime tempertures are above 60 F. Will tolerate severe root pruning. Take care when handling trunk during repotting process. |
| Pests: |
Watch for aphids and treat accordingly. Caterpillers may chew on leaves, but not seriously. |
| Diseases: |
A large number of root rots are caused by members of the water mould genus Phytophthora. Perhaps the most aggressive is Phytophthora cinnamomi. Spores from root rot do contaminate other plants, but the rot cannot take hold unless there is adequate moisture. Spores are not only airborne, but are also carried by insects and other arthropods in the soil. |
| Bibliography: |
ENH263 Bursera simaruba: Gumbo-Limbo1; Edward F. Gilman, professor, Environmental Horticulture Department; Dennis G. Watson, associate professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611. |
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