''Protium copal'', commonly known as the copal tree, is a species of tree endemic to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. It is found in wet tropical forests, preferring heavy shade. It grows to in height and has long leathery leaves. The fruits are (2–3 cm) and smooth, with a single pit. The dried sap of the tree is known as

copal Copal is a tree resin, particularly the aromatic resins from the copal tree '' Protium copal'' ( Burseraceae) used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and for other purposes. More generally, copal includ ...

. It is commonly used as an incense, similar to

frankincense Frankincense, also known as olibanum (), is an Aroma compound, aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus ''Boswellia'' in the family (biology), family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality in ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15546961

Trees of Belize Trees of Guatemala Trees of Northern America Cloud forest flora of Mexico