Gumbo Limbo by TwoPynts

Photography • Macro • posted on Feb 19, 2005

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Description

Thanks to everyone for the fun and thoughtful comments on my lichen photo, It Lives. I never would have thought a simple lichen could generate such a response. 8^] Tonight's subject is the bark of a Gumbo Limbo tree. The red peeling bark resembles sunburned skin, thereby inspiring Floridians to give it another common name: the tourist tree. ;^P It peels away to reveal sensually smooth gray inner bark. While not obvious in this photo, on trees where the red flaky bark has peeled away entirely, the underbark has a very attractive shiny, almost metallic, sheen. These hardy, fast growing trees can be found all over Florida and I thought their peeling bark might make an interesting subject for a macro photo. Olympus C5050 and Photoshop CS ------- BURSERA SIMARUBA Family: Burseraceae (torchwood or gumbo-limbo family) Common Names: gumbo-limbo, West Indian birch, tourist tree Description: Gumbo-limbo is a medium sized fast-growing tree, that can attain height of 20-50 ft (6.1-15.2 m). It has pinnately compound (featherlike) leaves and attractive reddish bark that peels away in thin flakes to reveal a smooth and sinuous gray underbark. The tree's massive trunk is 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) in diameter and supports huge irregular branches and a spreading, rounded crown. The leaves are 4-8 in (10.2-20.3 cm) long and have 3-7 oval or elliptic leaflets, each 1-2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) long. Semi-deciduous gumbo-limbo loses all its leaves in early spring just before the new leaves appear. The tree blooms in winter, producing small inconspicuous flowers composed of 3-5 greenish petals arranged in elongate racemes (spikelike clusters with each flower on its own stem). Staminate (male), pistillate (female), and perfect (both) flowers usually occur on a single tree. The dark red elliptic fruits are about a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) long and take a year to mature. Fallen gumbo-limbo trees resprout with suckers and sometimes form thickets. The wood is lightweight, light in color, soft and brittle. Location: In Florida gumbo-limbo occurs naturally in coastal hammocks, above the mangrove zone, from Brevard and Pinellas Counties southward. Bursera simaruba also occurs in the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Propagation: A green gumbo-limbo branch simply stuck into the moist ground will take root and grow rapidly. It also is easy to propagate from seed. Usage: Very fast growing, tolerant of salt and calcareous soils, the gumbo-limbo, with its attractive shiny red exfoliating bark, makes a beautiful specimen tree in a mild coastal location. It thrives with little or no care. Gumbo-limbo makes a handsome summertime shade tree, and is used as a street tree in coastal cities. Gumbo-limbo is used as a living fencepost wherever it occurs. Haitians make drums from the trunk of gumbo-limbo. A resin obtained from the trunk and bark is called chibou, cachibou or gomart in the West Indies, and is used to make glue, varnish, water repellent coatings and incense. The resin smells a little like turpentine. The fruits are eaten by several kinds of birds. The soft wood is easily carved. Features: In South Florida, gumbo-limbo has been called the tourist tree because of its red, flaking skin. The two largest gumbo-limbos in the US are at the St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church in Key West and on Captiva Island. The torchwood family, with some 600 species in 15 genera, includes the Old World trees that yield the important incenses, myrrh and frankincense (Commiphora erythraea and Boswellia carterii, respectively). Information take from Floridata.com.

Comments (32)

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Richardphotos

9:10PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

excellent macro and sort of surreal.

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diomedes66

9:12PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

Marvelous composition and excellent shading and light - your image has much depth and texture! Bravo, extremely well done! V

DeviousMoose

9:17PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

DUDE! Quite the abstract & surreal.... Almost looks like a martian cliff. Great use of the lighting & textures!

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maud

9:27PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

Great macro..lighting and textures are perfect! Very well done :)

Egmont

9:30PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

I love the way you have captured the spirit and feel of the trees bark. I appriciate the thoughtfulness of examining the tree and capture a very small portion of its beauty, for there lies the secrete to great abstract photography. I also thank you for the agricultural notations. V

cynlee

10:53PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

warm color & light, a great textural closeup... tempted to peel a bit a bark now :]

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blacq_nyght_vampyre

11:28PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

Great image. Love the texture macro. Excellent composition!!

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Punaguy

11:33PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

Kinda looks like the paper bark tree which grows here...same type of peeling. Kewl image!

deannemart

11:43PM | Sat, 19 February 2005

Interesting color and texture. I can see the resemblance to a peeling sunburn. That was me before the invention of high SPF sunscreen!

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Chaos911

12:18AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

excellent macro shot!!! V

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Zacko

1:02AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

That is a fantastic macro! Such an original capture, well done!

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sharky_

1:11AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Excellent macro. Beautiful job.....Aloha

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marybelgium

3:27AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Excellent capture...great macro !

gwfa

4:11AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

beautiful macro shot, indeed...

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kimariehere

4:25AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

stunning macro ...i love the warmth and personality of it!

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DELMUR

4:38AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

coucou! My english is limited ;but not my eyes!I love your photos !!

soulofharmony

4:52AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

love the texture of the peeling bark.. and the colours and light superb close up and composition voteee sublime work :)

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zulaan

5:35AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Fantastic macro dear friend !!!!! ;)

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Lary

5:36AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Beautiful macro capture.....what a cool tree texture! I like so much!

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sossy

6:37AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

amazing lighted and colored close up! wonderful textures and a capture of another world! very impressive info! thanks! ;o)

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Krystie

6:50AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Excellent and beautiful macro! I V! :o)

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MossSphere

6:53AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Absolutely brillant - another excellent shot, it certainly gives the impression of an alien landscape!

Haeberle

9:32AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Superb macro, excellent work with light and shadows

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hotracer2

9:58AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Your love of nature and thoughtfulness comes thru with each Photo & words you let us view, thank you very much!!:):):)"V"

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BlueLotus7

10:10AM | Sun, 20 February 2005

Incredible shot! And from a fair-skinned redhead's experience...yes, I'd say it looks like peeling sunburned skin! LOL I'll have to try and spot these the next time I go visit my son!

logiloglu

4:54PM | Sun, 20 February 2005

wonderful light and fascinating nature macro. excellent done !!!!!!!! #:O) !!!!!!!!!!

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