BURSERA, in botany, a genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria class of plants. There is but one species, the gummifera, or gum-elimy. This is a large tree. The leaves are pennate, the middle rib five or six inches long, with the pinnae set opposite to one another on footstalks half an inch long. The blossoms
are succeeded by purple-coloured berries bigger than Butter large peas, hanging in clusters on a stalk of about five inches long, to which each berry is joined by a footstalk of half an inch long. The seed is hard, white, and of a triangular figure, inclosed within a thin capsule, which divides in three parts, and discharges the seed. This tree produces a large quantity of gum, of a brown colour, and of the consistence of turpentine. It is esteemed a good vulnerary, and is much used for horses. Most of the Bahama islands abound with these trees.