Bursera graveolens malacophylla
This tree is renowned for its capacity to survive in the driest terrain of the archipelago, and above all for the deep, sweet, mystical fragrance its wood releases upon combustion.
It is a deciduous tree. During the long dry season, it sheds 100% of its leaves, revealing an intricate skeleton of branches that appears dry or dead. With the first rains, it rapidly refoliates with compound, aromatic leaves of a vivid bright green.
Its grayish bark provides perfect camouflage for the island’s reptiles. Lava lizards and Galápagos geckos climb its trunks to thermoregulate and hunt insects, remaining nearly invisible against the bark surface.
