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Gommier (Dacryodes excelsa)
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 3 countries tree

Gommier

Dacryodes excelsa

Family: Burseraceae

On our map this plant appears in 3 countries and ranks highest in: Dominica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia.

A tall tree of the torchwood family, growing to 30–35 m, with a straight, cylindrical trunk, pale smooth bark and pinnate leaves. Cut bark oozes a white, aromatic resin used as incense, as a fire-starter and for caulking boats. It grows in moist montane forests, where together with trees of the genus Sloanea it often forms the highest canopy layer. The interlocking roots of neighbouring trees help it survive hurricanes.

Description from: Dominica.

More: Wikipedia (en) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Dominica no. 2 of 5 native

    Dominica has some of the largest continuous gommier forests in the Lesser Antilles, and the Kalinago of the Kalinago Territory on the east coast still build traditional canoes from its hollowed-out trunks – keeping alive a craft that…

  2. Puerto Rico no. 4 of 5 native

    Tabonuco forest is Puerto Rico’s most typical forest community and dominates the lower reaches of El Yunque – the only tropical rainforest in the US National Forest System.

  3. St. Lucia no. 4 of 5 native

    Saint Lucia’s traditional fishing boats are made from a single hollowed-out gommier trunk – a craft taken over from the indigenous Kalinago and still practised in villages on the west coast.