Family:  Myrrh (Burseraceae)

Hardy to Zones 9 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted tree and kept indoors for the winter

(Torote, Copal, Littleleaf Elephant Tree) Deciduous caudiciform shrub to small tree, flowering cream to a height of 13 feet.  Native to eastern San Diego County in California to Arizona, south to Baja and northern Mexico.  The trunk is swollen, yellowish, with a papery bark.  White, aromatic oleoresin (sap) exudes and dries at every injury.  The reddish branches contort, supporting upright compound leaves, pinnate, with tiny paired leaflets.  To attempt to take a picture of one of these and capture its essence is futile.  I took a picture of the drawing from “Growing Plant Medicine Vol 2” to give a feel for what the tree looks like in toto (or in torote, as it were).  Other photos of parts of the tree, its trunk and leaflets, the flowers and fruits, are in the gallery to help give a feel for the plant, and to augment the scanty photogenic information available on the web vis a vis this species.  Torote may thrive perennially in potted culture with appropriate protection.  They are generally trouble-free and can be employed as a source of burnable copal from a relatively early age.

The best cultivation scenario is to plant in very fast draining medium, allowing them to go dormant and dry in winter and watering frequently in the summer.  Cultivation:  Standard culture for dryland tree species–use a fast-draining mix, plant the seed 1/4 inch deep, tamp securely and keep warm, in the light and evenly moist until germination, which can take months.  Work up seedlings in pots.  Use Cactus mix. Start with a 4-inch pot, then go up to a gallon and finish in 3-gallon pots.  Outdoors (dry tropics), space 15 feet apart.

Packet of 3 seeds, certified organically grown