Bursera is a small american genus related to frankincense and myrrh. Bursera grandifolia in flower at the beginning of the rainy season near alamos, sonora. View photos of the medicinal plant bursera microphylla elephant tree, profiled in medicinal plants of the american southwest. Delicate, tiny, fernlike leaves adorn this graceful plant and puts out redorange berries in the spring. An bursera glabrifolia in nahilalakip ha genus nga bursera, ngan familia nga burseraceae. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Bursera microphylla is a north american species of tree in the frankincense family in the soapwood order. The plant list includes a further 26 scientific plant names of infraspecific rank for the genus bursera. Elephant tree bursera microphylla is the species i mostly use as a medicine. The status of the 1,870 species names for the family burseraceae recorded in the plant list, are as follows. Bursera glabrifolia is one of two species commonly referred to as copal.
Bursera glabrifolia is a mexican species of trees native to central mexico guerrero, morelos, michoacan, mexico state, puebla, oaxaca. Copal is the wood most commonly used by the woodcarvers in oaxaca, mexico. Pdf demography of bursera glabrifolia, a tropical tree. Bursera fagaroides fragrant elephant tree autumn perhaps this is the nicest species of the genus, it has a thick caudex and leaves that release a delightful citrus odour when crushed. Species from this genus are excellent candidates for succulent bonsais. It is found in the deep isolated desert mountains in the american southwest and down into the sonoran desert of baja and the west coast of mainland mexico. In colombia, there is a species that is a giant rainforest tree, and in central american there is a species that grows as a rainforest. The foremost publication of its kind in this field, economic botany documents the rich relationship that has always exixted between plants and people around the world, encompassing the past, present, and potential uses of plants. Young branches stout, densely puberulent becoming glabrous. Volatile profiling, insecticidal, antibacterial and. Text is available under the creative commons attributionsharealike license. A parable for ethnobotany article pdf available in economic botany 574. Historical biogeographical patterns of the species of bursera. The most representative phytochemicals isolated from this genus are terpenoids and lignans.
Burseraceae, family of flowering plants in the order sapindales, composed of about 16 genera of resinous trees and shrubs. Plants remain dormant much of the year, leafing out only with the onset of hot summer weather. Bursera fagaroides elephant tree, fragrant bursera bursera microphylla elephant tree, torote colorado, copal. Bursera glabrifolia glaborous, dentate pinnate leaves with gray bark. Leaves drought deciduous, serrate, to 2 inches, occasionally trifoliate, aromatic when crushed. They are native primarily to tropical america, but a few species occur in africa and asia. Meyer same bursera grandifolia as image to left, now in leaf during the rainy season. Bursera grandifolia look like to the related bursera simaruba but is readily distinguished by its unusual bark, fewer, larger, velvetypubescent leaflets with prominent veins, and ornamental masses of pink to whitish flowers. Bursera fagaroides elephant tree, fragrant bursera bursera hindsiana copal, torote prieto bursera microphylla elephant tree, torote colorado, copal bursera morelensis red cuajiote bursera simaruba gumbolimbo, west indian birch, tourist tree. This page was last edited on 12 december 2019, at 20. Elephant tree a powerful antimicrobial plant medicine. Use the leaves and twigs and and not the branches or bark.
The present article describes the chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils of b. They are native often for many species endemic to the americas, from the southern united states south through to northern argentina, in tropical and warm. Commercial essential oils as potential antimicrobials to. Estimation of gene flow into fragmented populations of bursera simaruba burseraceae in the dryforest life zone of puerto rico. Bursera glabrifolia, a dominant component of the tropical dry forests in southwestern mexico, is used to illustrate the importance of a broader contextual framework for ethnobotanical studies. Plants profile for bursera fagaroides fragrant bursera. The plant list includes 203 scientific plant names of species rank for the genus bursera. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. The simaruba clade of bursera is remarkable for its incredible ecological breadth and the diversity in shapes and sizes of its members, which can be found from rainforest to very dry tropical deciduous forest.
Reviewarticle commercial essential oils as potential antimicrobials to treat skin diseases aneorchardandsandyvanvuuren departmentofpharmacyandpharmacology. Bursera 50 species is found in tropical america, with its centre of diversity in mexico. Forms an interesting,complex caudex and is a wonderful bonsai. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. Interdisciplinary in scope, economic botany bridges the gap between pure and applied botany by focusing on the uses of plants by people. An bursera in nahilalakip ha familia nga burseraceae ilarom nga taxa. From a thick short trunk with white papery bark, that peels away to expose the pale green color below, come the widespread stems bearing pinnately compound dark green leaves that.
Bursera fagaroides fragrant bursera an interesting shrub or small bonsai tree, typically growing 1 to 5 feet tall but capable of reaching taller when irrigated. A few species occur on the galapagos and revillagigedo archipelagos, some of which are endemics. Annonaceae has been used in vietnamese traditional medicine as a remedy to aid digestion. Bursera in the germplasm resources information network grin, u. Bursera 20 images at images, phylogeny, nomenclature for. Theres no medicinal advantage to these parts no need to unnecessarily damage this endemic small tree. Usda, ars, germplasm resources information network. Bursera fagaroides in autumn perhaps this is the nicest species of the genus, it has a thick caudex and leaves that release a delightful citrus odour when crushed.
Bursera species are propagated by local farmers using large stakes. The woodcarvers refer to bursera glabrifolia as macho or male copal, which they like less than bursera bipinnata, which they refer to as hembra or female copal. Bursera glabrifolia white copalillo is a dry tropical forest tree extensively used in several communities of the state of oaxaca, mexico, for the elaboration of folkart woodcarvings. Browse pictures and read growth cultivation information about elephant tree bursera odorata supplied by member gardeners in the plantfiles database at daves garden.
Bursera microphylla, known by the common name elephant tree in english or torote in spanish, is a tree in genus bursera. Demography of bursera glabrifolia, a tropical tree used for folk woodcrafting in southern mexico. Their wood is also very odoriferous, and their sap is sometimes collected by indigenous people. Browse pictures and read growth cultivation information about elephant tree, fragrant bursera bursera fagaroides supplied by member gardeners in the plantfiles database at daves garden. The plants database includes the following 3 species of bursera. Most of the species have thickened trunks, often with decorative barks.
The torchwood family contains 550 species of shrubs and trees worldwide, many of which have succulent stems and aromatic foliage. Bursera family burseraceae is a family of trees and shrubs found primarily in eastern africa and south america. A wonderful caudiciform tree from baja california and the sonoran desert. Department of agriculture agricultural research service.
This page was last edited on 17 december 2019, at 01. The tree develops a swollen bole which can be 30cm or more in diameter 385. There are five species in three genera growing in greater north america. An bursera glabrifolia in uska species han magnoliopsida nga syahan ginhulagway ni carl sigismund kunth, ngan ginhatag han pagkayana nga asya nga ngaran ni adolf engler. Pdf demography of bursera glabrifolia, a tropical tree used. Genus bursera definition of genus bursera by the free.
There are about 12 species of bursera in the sonoran desert region, about a third of which occur in the desert. They are native often for many species endemic to the americas, from the southern united states south through to northern argentina, in tropical and warm temperate forest habitats. Bursera fagaroides is a deciduous shrub or small tree with a wide, spreading crown. It grows into a distinctive sculptural form, with a thickened, waterstoring or caudiciform trunk. Bursera, named after the danish botanist joachim burser 15831639, is a genus with about 100 described species of flowering shrubs and trees varying in size up to 25 m 82 ft high. Aug 28, 2015 this page was last edited on 17 december 2019, at 01.