Bursera microphylla belongs to the family Burseraceae in the order Sapindales. Bursera microphylla, known by the common name elephant tree in English or 'torote' in Spanish, is a tree in genus Bursera. It grows into a distinctive sculptural form, with a thickened, water-storing or caudiciform trunk. It is narrowly distributed in the United States in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park region.