Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

West Indian Elm

Guazuma ulmifolia

Spanish: Guasmo

West Indian Elm (Guazuma ulmifolia)
Photographed by motmot11 on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

Guazuma ulmifolia, commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, is a medium sized tree normally found in pastures and disturbed forests. This flowering plant from the Malvaceae family grows up to 30m in height and 30–40 cm in diameter. It is widely found in areas such as the Caribbean, South American, Central America and Mexico serving a number of uses that varies from its value in carpentry to its utility in medicine.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Malvales › Malvaceae
Local records22 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records8,153 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2025 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “West Indian Elm (Guazuma ulmifolia) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/guazuma-ulmifolia/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.