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Amyris balsamifera L.
Balsam torchwood

Amyris balsamifera
Copyright by: George D. Gann
cultivated plant at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
March 2013

Family: Rutaceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Tree

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: South Florida, the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, Central America and northwestern South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

NatureServe Global Status: Apparently Secure

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: Presumed Extirpated or Extinct

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Presumed Extirpated or Extinct in the Wild

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

South Florida History and Distribution: Ranked as presumed extirpated in Rare Plants of South Florida (Gann et al. 2002, pp 57-58), based on a collection in Miami by Abram P. Garber in 1877 and possibly a single tree in Matheson Hammock Park discovered in 1966, which was destroyed in the late 1970s or early 1980s. However, seeds were collected prior to the tree’s destruction and germplasm is maintained at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: For more images and a description of plants in Cuba, visit the Cybertruffle website. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.

Distinguished from the common A. elemifera in having: leaflets often 5 and usually more than 5 cm long (versus usually 3 and less than 5 cm long); inflorescence downy hairy (versus glabrous); ovary hairy, stalked (versus glabrous, sessile); and fruit elongated, 9-14 mm long (versus rounded, 5-8 mm long) (from Tomlinson 1980).

Other data on Amyris balsamifera available from :

Amyris balsamifera has been found in the following 2 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Recorded as Present in Error
Matheson Hammock Park Presumed Extirpated Presumed Extirpated

Amyris balsamifera has been found in the following 2 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Miami-Dade County Presumed Extirpated Presumed Extirpated
Monroe County (Keys) Recorded as Present in Error

Amyris balsamifera has been found in the following habitat :
Rockland Hammock

All Images:

Amyris balsamifera
Copyright by: George D. Gann
cultivated plant at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
March 2013
Amyris balsamifera
Copyright by: George D. Gann
cultivated plant at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
March 2013
Amyris balsamifera
Copyright by: George D. Gann
cultivated plant at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
March 2013