''Protium copal'', commonly known as the copal tree, is a species of tree endemic to

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 ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. It is found in wet tropical forests, preferring heavy shade. It grows to in height and has long leathery leaves. The fruits are small (2–3 cm) and smooth, with a single pit. The dried sap of the tree is known as

copal Copal is tree resin, particularly the aromatic resins from the copal tree ''Protium copal'' (Burseraceae) used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and for other purposes. More generally, copal includes re ...

. It is commonly used as an incense, similar to

frankincense Frankincense (also known as olibanum) is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus ''Boswellia'' in the family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality incense'). There are several species o ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15546961

Trees of Belize Trees of Guatemala Trees of Mexico Cloud forest flora of Mexico