Copperwood

Description:

This tree, also known as the gumbo-limbo, grows to 30 m tall, with a diameter of one meter or less at 1.5 meters above ground. 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. The arils are an important source of food for birds. It is sometimes called the Tourist Tree because the tree's red, peeling bark is like the skin of sunburned tourists. An example habitat of occurrence is in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán, where it is a subdominant plant species to mangroves.

Habitat:

Seen at the Jardín Botánico