Bursera fagaroides ( in Autumn )
Perhaps this is the nicest species of the genus, it has a thick caudex and leaves that release a
delightful citrus odour when crushed. Plants remain dormant much of the year, leafing out only
with the onset of hot summer weather. They defoliate in Autumn, making an attractive
display as the leaves change to yellow, orange and red.

Description: B. fragarioides is a shrub or small tree up to 4.5 m tall. Develops a swollen short, trunk (caudex), Bark is tight and smooth, very attractive, reddish brown and peeling to reveal grey-green. Twig are widespreading, resinous and stout but flexible, reddish brown.
Leaf: Alternate, pinnate with 5-11 aromatic leaflets per leaf broadly lanceolate, entire, toothed or serrate, 0,5 to 3cm long, up to10cm overall.
Flower: Small, creamy white, borne on long stalks, may be clustered or solitary. The fruit is brown maturing in late fall.
 

Twigs are very flexible, you can make a knot whit them!!!

Cultivation: Hardy to -4°C they prefer a dormant, winter rest period, water regularly in summer keep almost dry in winter. Need full sun. It can be trained as a bonsai, pinch and prune plants in spring and summer but taper off in autumn so the tree can store energy for the winter instead of using it to put on new growth before resting.

Propagation: By seeds that are are red, and germinate quite easily or (rarely) by cuttings.

Common name: Fragrant Elephant Tree

Origin: Grows wild in the Sonoran Desert in north-western Mexico (Baja California and Sonora) and in southern Arizona

 

Bursera fagaroides ( in winter without leaves)
Its aromatic resin has been used traditionally in perfumes, incense, and oils throughout the centuries. The copal incense can be burned on a incense burning disk, its smell is said to calm and clear the mind.


The trunk has papery peeling bark