Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Tender Perennial
Origin
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Central America
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
tourist tree, turpentine tree, chaca
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
1480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Sandy stream banks, Tropical rainforest
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 22, 23, 24
-
Habit
Twisted/Contorted
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
460.00 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
760.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Crimson, Copper
-
Leaf Color in Spring
-
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Compound
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Summer, Indeterminate
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Variety of soil types
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
-
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies, Deers, Hummingbirds
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
allergic reaction, Eye irritation, Mouth itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin condition, Making cosmetics, Removes pimples
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Forms dense stands, Nesting sites for birds, soil stabilisation
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, Headache
-
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Leaves
-
Other Uses
Application in Furniture, Can be made into a herbal tea, Cosmetics
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
-
Botanical Name
BURSERA simaruba
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Gumbo Limbo, Tourist Tree, Turpentine Tree
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
Bursera simaruba
Earth Star
In German
Bursera simaruba
Erdstern
In French
Bursera simaruba
Terre étoile
In Spanish
Bursera simaruba
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
Bursera simaruba
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
Bursera simaruba
Estrela da terra
In Polish
Bursera simaruba
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
Bursera simaruba
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Tracheophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Bromeliales
Family
Burseraceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Bursera
Cryptanthus
Clade
Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
1050
1
27800
👆🏻