What is "elephant tree"

n. A distinctive shrub or small tree native to northern Mexico and the farthest southern edge of California and Arizona, (taxlink Bursera microphylla species noshow=1), having a smooth-skinned, bulging round trunk reminiscent of an elephant's trunk or legs.

n. small tree or shrub of the southwestern United States having a spicy odor and odd-pinnate leaves and small clusters of white flowers [syn: Bursera microphylla]

Elephant tree is a common name for several plants with swollen stems and may refer to:

• Boswellia papyrifera, a species in the Burserceae family native to northeastern Africa
• Bursera microphylla, a species in the Burseraceae family native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico
• Operculicarya decaryi, a species in the Anacardiaceae family native to Madagascar, and cultivated for bonsai
• Pachycormus discolor, a species in the Anacardiaceae family native to Baja California