Global warming is no longer a theory and is being accepted as fact by most scientists and governments. It is related to Ohia so the flowers also attract our native Honeycreepers. It is native to the rainforests of the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. Of over 500 species of eucalyptus, this is the only one found growing naturally north of the equator. One example is the Painted Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus deglupta, sometimes called Rainbow Eucalyptus or Camouflage Tree, is a sight to behold and thanks to Kelly Dunn and his Painted Trees of Hawaii, these beautiful trees are being protected on our island. There are many other trees with interesting bark, especially in the ohia family that includes guava, eucalyptus, alspice and mountain apple. If you are interested in obtaining cuttings you may email Tone at to get starts. Nurseries here do not have the tree but there are three small trees growing in a local West Hawaii garden. It has many medicinal uses and has been valued by Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Central and South America for centuries. It is also used as a shade tree for coffee farms in Central America. Even cuttings 10 feet tall can be quickly grown and profitable as a nursery item. The Gumbo Limbo is used as a landscape tree in South Florida because it is easy to propagate. Sometimes it is referred to as the Tourist Tree because its reddish trunk peels like a sun burned tourist. It is often used as fence posts by farmers and ranchers in tropical America because it continues to grow and is resistant to termites and decay. It is also referred to as the Living Fencepost Tree since a cutting of almost any size will grow easily. It’s an excellent tree to come upon in the tropics as it’s the medicine of choice for poisonous stings and bug bites.The Gumbo Limbo, Bursera simaruba, also called the Naked Indian Tree in the Caribbean, is hard to miss because of its reddish shiny bark.
Gumbo limbo tree skin#
Young leaves rubbed on skin exposed to poison wood can prevent reaction and will sooth itching and speed recovery. It is also drunk as tea to treat backaches, urinary tract infections, colds, flu, and fevers. The bark is a common topical remedy strips of bark are boiled in water and then used topically for skin sores, measles, sunburn, insect bites, and rashes. The Many Wonderful Properties of the Tourist Tree You can hang on to this bark and reapply several times as needed. Here is where the Tourist Tree comes in handy – cut a piece of the tree’s bark and wipe the inside on the affected area. The first thing to do is to find a Gumbo Limbo tree. You will know almost instantly that you have had contact with it’s ‘fiery’ bark as a serious rash develops on your skin. When wondering through the jungle getting in contact with black poison wood is pretty much inevitable as it’s in abundance in Belize. Quite conveniently, the Gumbo Limbo trees grow in the same area of the Black Poison wood trees. It happens a lot living in the tropics, but an added advantage of being in the tropics also means finding home remedies that are as efficient and even more readily available for instant relief. Many a times, you find yourself looking for over-the-counter medication to heal a sunburn or that nasty rash you get when rummaging in the jungle. How About That!? Yes, this herbal healer has anti-inflammatory properties that are excellent to treat sunburns and rash from poison wood (locally known as Chechen in Maya). Interestingly enough, the tree is used to treat sunburns. Its bark is green, but the outer layer flakes red hard to miss while venturing the coastline of Belize.
The bark of a Gumbo Limbo tree looks like peeling skin from a sunburn, hence why Belizeans name it the ‘Tourist Tree’ well pretty much like the skin of tourists who get sunburned the most while vacationing in Belize. It grows to become a magnificent tree, tall with open limbs reaching to the skies but its bark does something very interesting – it peels.
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