Burseraceae
Boswellia

Boswellia rivae Engl.

First published in Ann. Bot. (Rome) 7: 16 (1907)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. & S. Ethiopia to Somalia and NE. Kenya. It is a tree and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 3(–4)-celled, 17–27 x 7–9 mm, angular, pear-shaped, pubescent; stones rough, having apical and basal horns and 2 lateral points, surrounded at first by a fragile caducous wing.
Distribution
N1, 2; C1, 2; S1; SE Ethiopia, NE Kenya
Ecology
Altitude range 200–920 m.
Vernacular
Beyo, mirafur, muqlay, murchen (Somali).
Morphology General Habit
Spreading shrub or small tree, up to 7 m tall, often wider than tall; bark yellowish to greyish, peeling in small papery flakes
Morphology Leaves
Leaves narrowly oblanceolate in outline, up to 18 cm long, the 3–20 mm long petiole included, pubescent-pilose with hairs up to 1 mm long, 11–29-foliolate; leaflets elliptic. to ovate-oblong, up to 7–23 x 3–12 mm, obtuse to subacute at the apex, rounded to truncate at the base, crenate-serrate at the margin
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in few-flowered pubescent racemes or panicles 1.5–6 cm long; bracts elliptic-oblong, 3–4(–8) mm long; pedicels 3–10 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Calyx pubescent, c. 1.2 mm long; petals 5–6 x 1.5 mm, pink, pubescent outside; filaments tapering evenly from the base, c. 3 mm long, densely pilose
[FSOM]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/128044164/208229310

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Burseraceae, J.B. Gillett. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or small tree with a short bole, up to 7 m. tall; bark mottled yellowish grey, peeling in small papery flakes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves up to 18 cm. long, pilose-pubescent with stiff erect hairs ± 0.4 mm. long; petiole 4–16 mm. long; leaflets 13–25, opposite or alternate, almost sessile, oblong, rounded at base and apex, crenate, up to 18 mm. × 10 mm. near the middle of the leaf, rather smaller above, much smaller below, the lowest sometimes only 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pink, pubescent, in few-flowered pubescent panicles 2–5 cm. long; pedicels 3–8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± 1.5 mm. long with broad blunt lobes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals elliptic, 4–6 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments densely pilose, ± 3 mm. long, tapering gradually from the base; anthers 1.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit grey-green, sparsely pubescent, ± 20 mm. long × 9 mm. wide; nutlets with apical, lateral and basal spines.
Figures
Fig. 2/2–10.
Habitat
Open Acacia, Commiphora bushland on limestone hills: 270–750 m.; rainfall ± 220 mm.
Distribution
K1
[FTEA]

Uses

Use
The gum-resin is used locally as incense or for chewing.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0