Gumbo Limbo

Habitat:

Native to tropical regions of the Americas. Habitats include: hardwood hammocks and coastal hammocks, with salty and calcareous soils. Also widely seen in south Florida as ornamental on streets, parks, homes, etc.

Notes:

One of my favorite native trees. Mature trees have a very beautiful trunk and branch structure. Here is some interesting trivia from the Wiki article in the reference section: "sometimes called "The Tourist Tree" because the tree's bark is red and peeling, like the skin of sunburnt tourists, who are a common sight in the plant's range." (see pic 2) " if simply stuck into good soil, small branches will readily root and grow into sizeable trees in a few years" "Gumbo-limbo is the traditional wood used for the manufacture of carousel horses in the United States."