Bursera fagaroides is a fine example of a pachycaul plant; it produces a very thick, short trunk, topped with a few main branches which typically spread horizontally. The trunk and main branches are of a grey-green coloration and are covered with a smooth bark which peels off in parchment-like sheets. To my eye the trunk and main branches have the appearance of a large, grey-green, overstuffed sausage. Thinner (non-succulent) stems are produced on top of the main branches, and these are spreading to upright in habit, eventually growing to heights approaching 20 feet. New stems emerge a purplish-mahogany color, eventually maturing to grey–green. The individual leaflets of the compound leaves are small, oval to lance shaped, and toothed along its edges, looking very much like the leaves of a beech tree (the specific name of this species, fagaroides, is a reference to the beech tree family, Fagus)
