Bursera microphylla

Littleleaf elephant tree, Littleleaf Elephant Tree

Family: Burseraceae · Type: tree · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Littleleaf elephant tree is a California native tree found on the western edge of the Desert South regions in rocky slopes of eastern San Diego, western Imperial, and Riverside counties at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from May to June, this tree produces white to cream-colored flowers with delicate 3 to 5-parted staminate blooms. Growing up to 4 meters tall with spreading branches that are generally red and mature bark turning white, it develops an distinctive branching structure. Its odd-pinnate leaves have 7 to 33 small leaflets, each 2 to 5 millimeters long, with a distinctively winged leaf axis. The fruit develops as a small 5 to 8 millimeter structure with three yellow stone-like valves.

Habitat: Rocky slopes

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 700 m

Bioregions: w edge DSon (e San Diego, w Imperial, Riverside cos.)

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, Imperial, Inyo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.