''Bursera fagaroides'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''

Bursera ''Bursera'' is a genus with about 100 described species of flowering shrubs and trees varying in size up to high. It is the type genus for Burseraceae. The trees are native (often for many species endemic) to the Americas, from the southern Uni ...

'' known by the common names torchwood copal and fragrant bursera.''Bursera fagaroides''.
Plant Abstracts. Arizona Game and Fish Department. It is widespread across much of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

from

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, and its range extends just into

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the United States, although some sources suggest that it may now be extirpated in Arizona. This plant is a

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing up to 10 meters (33 feet) tall. The trunk is swollen, with peeling red-tinged bark. The leaves are pinnate, each made up of 5 to 11 leaflets. The flowers are borne singly or in clusters at the ends of branches and are white, sometimes with a yellow or greenish tint. The gray-brown triangular fruit is about 6 millimeters long and splits open when ripe to release a reddish seed. ''Bursera fagaroides'' is similar in appearance to the elephant tree (''Bursera microphylla''), but can be differentiated by its longer, narrower leaflets. This plant grows in the scrub of the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...

. Farther south in Mexico it can be found in arroyos in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

scrub habitat. It is found in shallow soils and rocky substrates, often

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The seeds are consumed by birds such as the

white-eyed vireo The white-eyed vireo (''Vireo griseus'') is a small songbird of the family Vireonidae. Distribution and habitat It breeds in the eastern United States from New England west to northern Missouri and south to Texas and Florida, and also in easte ...

(''Vireo griseus''), and the

grey catbird The gray catbird (''Dumetella carolinensis''), also spelled grey catbird, is a medium-sized North American and Central American perching bird of the mimid family. It is the only member of the "catbird" genus ''Dumetella''. Like the black catbird ...

(''Dumetella carolinensis''). This species is grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

and can be sculpted into

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

Uses

In Mexico, the gum from the tree has been used in treating scorpion stings and insect bites.

Gallery

Bursera fagaroides range map 1.png, Native range Bursera fagaroides bonsai at the BBG, August 2, 2008.jpg, As bonsai

References

External links

*NatureServe. 2014
''Bursera fagaroides''.
Plant Abstracts. Arizona Game and Fish Department.
''Bursera fagaroides'' var. ''elongata''.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden

Uses

Gallery

References

External links

Further reading