Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Shrub
Origin
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Central America
Mexico, Central America
Types
tourist tree, turpentine tree, chaca
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Number of Varieties
135
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Sandy stream banks, Tropical rainforest
Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-159-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Twisted/Contorted
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
460.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
760.00 cm30.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Crimson, Copper
-
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Compound
Oblong to lance-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer, Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies, Deers, Hummingbirds
Butterflies
Allergy
allergic reaction, Eye irritation, Mouth itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai
Borders, 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
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Leaves
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Other Uses
Application in Furniture, Can be made into a herbal tea, Cosmetics
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
BURSERA simaruba
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Common Name
Gumbo Limbo, Tourist Tree, Turpentine Tree
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
In Hindi
Bursera simaruba
Mexican Heather
In German
Bursera simaruba
Mexican Heather
In French
Bursera simaruba
Mexicaine Heather
In Spanish
Bursera simaruba
Heather mexicana
In Greek
Bursera simaruba
Μεξικού Heather
In Portuguese
Bursera simaruba
Mexican Heather
In Polish
Bursera simaruba
Mexican Heather
In Latin
Bursera simaruba
Mexicanus Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Myrtales
Family
Burseraceae
Lythraceae
Genus
Bursera
Cuphea
Clade
Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Lythroideae
Number of Species
10250
1
27800
👆🏻