Burseraceae

Boswellia Roxb. ex Colebr.

First published in Asiat. Res. 9: 379 (1807)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropical Africa, Madagascar, Arabian Peninsula, India.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or small to medium-sized trees, unarmed; exudate aromatic, hardening to a resin
Morphology Leaves
Leaves imparipinnate or rarely simple, often clustered at the tips of branches, very minute gland-tipped hairs often present, usually mixed with longer eglandular hairs; leaflets usually subsessile, often subalternate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle, raceme or thyrse, produced with or sometimes before the leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual or (in Madagascar) unisexual, the plants then dioecious; calyx 5-lobed; petals 5, free; stamens inserted outside a conspicuous annular ± distinctly lobed disk in 2 whorls of 5, free, outer filaments sometimes wider than the inner
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 3–6(–8)-celled; style simple; stigma truncate to capitate or club-shaped
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a pseudocapsule, pear-shaped to obovoid-ellipsoid or subglobose, with a truncate-pointed tip, the 3–6(–8) angles sometimes ± winged, the outer walls breaking away on dehiscence to disclose a winged axis with a 1-seeded stone in each compartment between the wings; stones surrounded by a fragile outer layer which sometimes forms a ± persistent wing.
Distribution
19 species in rather dry areas from the Ivory Coast to India and southwards to north-eastern Tanzania and northern Madagascar.
Note
B. ogadensis Vollesen is known only from near the type locality at Kelafo in the Ogaden (Ethiopia). It has subglabrous leaves with 7 entire leaflets and flowers in panicles and may well occur also in Somalia.
[FSOM]

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

Morphology General Habit
Unarmed large bushes or small to medium-sized trees; outer bark often peeling in papery flakes, under-bark greenish with a watery aromatic exudate hardening to a resin; wood soft, often with a milky latex
Morphology Leaves
Leaves usually clustered at the ends of branches, usually imparipinnate but 1-foliolate or hetero–3-foliolate in 2 Socotran species; stipules sometimes present, caducous; leaflets often subalternate, variously crenate or serrate, or entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle or raceme
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual or (in B. madagascariensis) dioecious
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed, persistent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 5, free
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted outside a conspicuous annular disc, 10 in 2 whorls of 5, the outer usually having broader filaments than the inner
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary (2–)3(–4–5)-locular or, in B. frereana Birdwood from N. Somalia, (5–)6(–8)-locular; style simple; stigma capitate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit an obovoid pseudocapsule with (2–)3(–4–5) angles, the outer walls breaking away to disclose a (2–)3(–4–5)-winged axis with a 1-seeded nutlet in each compartment between the wings; nutlets at first surrounded by a fragile outer layer which may form a temporary wing
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Cotyledons 3- or 5-lobed or 3-lobed with both lateral lobes bifid
Figures
Fig. 3/1,2, p. 10.
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44811/69307248

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Uses

Use
The gum-resins of most species may be burnt as frankincense, some are used for chewing and for medicinal purposes. In Somalia B. frereana and B. sacra are of major economic importance.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • 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.

  • 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