Roatan gumbo-limbo tree

Roatan’s Famous Gumbo-Limbo Tree | West Bay, Roatan

If you have been planning on visiting West Bay Beach and you have been searching for Roatan vacation rentals by owner in that area, it is quite likely you have heard mention of the tourist attraction, Gumbalimba Park, which features botanical gardens and an animal preserve. If you have wondered where on earth that name came from, it is named after a famous tree that grows on Roatan, the Gumbalimba or Gumbo-Limbo tree. If a name like that doesn’t make you want to find out more, not sure what will!  If to know more about this odd-looking tree, here are the interesting facts:

Roatan’s Tourist Tree

roatan tourist tree

The gumbo-limbo tree is also known as the Tourist Tree because its red, peeling bark resembles the skin of a recently arrived tourist who’s had too much sun.  This bark is one of the defining characteristics of the tree.  And although its appearance is quite striking, the bark has other properties that are quite useful for a variety of medicinal purposes.

The gumbo-limbo tree bark produces a resin that’s used by natural healers for a number of skin ailments.  Ironically, one of the afflictions that gumbo limbo tree bark is good for is sunburns.  It also works on other skin conditions such as rashes, sores or bumps due to insect bites or measles.  Consuming a tea made from the gumbo limbo bark supposedly reduces the symptoms related to fever, colds and infections as well as relieving stomach aches.  The resin has been used as an antidote for poison ivy and other tropical plants that similarly affect the skin.  As a relative of plants such as frankincense and myrrh, the gumbo-limbo tree resin also works well as an incense.

Because the gumbo-limbo tree is a fast grower and has many branches low to the ground, it has been used to delineate properties as a sort of natural fence.  Its strong root system makes the tree hurricane resistant and has popularized its use as a wind buffer in countries located along the hurricane belt.  The gumbo-limbo grows well in a wide variety of conditions but compared to other trees it does exceptionally well in soils with high salt content.  This adds to its popularity in coastal communities.

Gumbalimba Uses

Gumbo-limbo wood is a bit too brittle to be used for heavy duty construction, however it’s easily carved and has long been used to make decorative items.  Apparently the horses on old time carousel rides were originally carved out of gumbo limbo tree wood.  As mentioned, the trees can grow quite fast and can reach to almost 100 feet in height.  Its many branches and dense foliage make it an excellent shade tree. If you venture away from your Roatan vacation rental while visiting, you have a good chance of seeing many fences made from this red tree throughout the island.

Image Credit: YourWorldExplorer [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

 

 

 

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