Bursera fagaroides
| Light | Bright light to full sun; loves as much as you can give it |
|---|---|
| Water | Regularly while in leaf; keep dry during winter/leafless dormancy |
| Soil | Fast-draining, gritty mineral mix (see Soil and potting mix) |
| Temperature | Keep above about 10 °C; frost-tender, USDA zones 9b–11 |
| Propagation | Seed; also large cuttings, though these often fail to build a true caudex |
| Toxicity | No serious toxicity reported; the fragrant resin ("copal") is used as incense and in folk medicine |
Bursera fagaroides is a fragrant, drought-deciduous caudiciform shrub or small tree from the seasonally dry tropical forests of Mexico, its range extending just into the desert scrub of southern Arizona in the United States. Prized by collectors for its swollen, sculptural trunk and its thin, papery, yellowish bark that peels in fine sheets, it is one of the most sought-after species in the genus for succulent bonsai and caudex culture. Like its relatives it belongs to the Bursera genus of the torchwood family, and every part of the plant is scented with aromatic resin, giving it common names such as fragrant bursera and torchwood copal.
Description
Bursera fagaroides is a much-branched shrub or small tree, reaching several metres in the ground but very compact and thick-trunked in a pot. The main attraction is the caudex — a fat, tapering, often gnarled trunk that stores water and gives even young plants an ancient, weathered look. The bark is thin, smooth and yellowish to coppery, exfoliating in translucent papery flakes that reveal green photosynthetic tissue beneath, an adaptation that lets the trunk keep working through the long leafless dry season.
The leaves are small, pinnate and made up of several narrow leaflets. They are aromatic when crushed, releasing the citrus-turpentine scent typical of the genus, and are shed as the dry season arrives, leaving a bare, characterful skeleton of branches. Small, greenish to cream flowers appear seasonally and are followed by small three-parted fruits. As with all burseras, cutting or scratching the plant releases a clear, sticky resin — the fragrant "copal" for which the group is known.
Distribution and habitat
The species is native to Mexico, where it is widespread in the tropical dry forests and thornscrub of the central and western states (roughly from Sonora south to Oaxaca), and it reaches its northern limit in the desertscrub of southern Arizona in the United States. It is a plant of hot, seasonally arid slopes and rocky, often limestone ground, where it experiences a strong summer wet season followed by a long, dry, cool rest. Understanding this rhythm — soaking rains in growth, near-total drought in dormancy — is the key to growing it well.
Cultivation
Bursera fagaroides is a rewarding caudiciform once you match its seasons. Grow it in the brightest spot you have; it thrives in full sun and will grow thin and weak without it. Use a very free-draining, mostly mineral mix and a pot that shows off the caudex without being oversized.
During the warm growing season, when the plant is in leaf, water it generously and let it dry between soakings — it drinks far more than most succulents while actively growing. As days shorten and temperatures fall the plant will drop its leaves and go dormant; at that point cut water right back and keep it dry and warm, watering only enough to stop the finer roots from shrivelling. It is frost-tender, so bring it in or protect it well before cold weather. See Watering and Repotting for general technique.
This species is a favourite for succulent bonsai: it back-buds well, tolerates pruning, and thickens its trunk quickly with good light, warmth and summer feeding. Raising the caudex slightly at each repot can enhance the sculptural, exposed-root look many growers are after.
Propagation
Seed is the best method for a well-formed plant, since seed-grown Bursera develop a naturally swollen, tapering caudex from the base. Sow fresh seed on a warm, gritty surface and keep it lightly moist until germination, then grow the seedlings hard in bright light. See Propagation — seed for a full walkthrough.
Large cuttings will often root, and this is a quick way to get a leafy plant, but cutting-grown specimens tend to form a straighter, less characterful trunk and rarely develop the same fat basal caudex as seedlings. See Propagation — cuttings for the method if you want to try it.
Common problems
- Rot — the commonest killer, almost always from watering a dormant, leafless plant or from a slow-draining mix. Water hard only when the plant is in active growth.
- Leaf drop out of season — usually a response to cold, underwatering during growth, or a sudden move; often the plant is simply signalling that it wants to go dormant.
- Weak, etiolated growth — a sign of too little light; give it the sunniest position available.
- Pests — watch for spider mites on the fine foliage in hot, dry air, and for mealybugs tucked into branch crotches and around the roots.
See also
- Bursera — the genus overview
- Bonsai · Soil and potting mix · Watering · Repotting · Propagation — seed · Propagation — cuttings