This distinctive Caribbean tree is the Turpentine Tree, Bursera simaruba.

It is easily recognized by its smooth, peeling bark, which ranges from coppery red to reddish brown. The outer bark flakes away in thin, papery strips, revealing greenish bark beneath.

Because of that red, peeling trunk, the tree is also widely known as Gumbo Limbo and sometimes jokingly called the “tourist tree”—red and peeling after too much sun.

The leaves are compound, with several leaflets arranged along a central stem. During the dry season, the tree may lose many of its leaves, then produce fresh growth when rains return.

Its small greenish flowers are followed by three-part fruits that split open when mature, revealing seeds covered by a bright red coating. Birds eat the seeds and help disperse them.

The Turpentine Tree is native to the Caribbean, Florida, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It tolerates heat, drought, salt, wind, and poor soil, making it especially well adapted to dry coastal environments.

Its common name refers to the aromatic resin produced by the bark. That resin has been used traditionally for incense, glue, varnish, and folk remedies.

This is also one of the easiest tropical trees to propagate from large cut branches. A branch placed directly into the ground may take root and grow, which is why the tree has often been used for living fence posts.