Burseraceae
Boswellia

Boswellia globosa Thulin

First published in Nordic J. Bot. 24: 373 (2006 publ. 2007)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Somalia. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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

Type
N2, c. 20 km S of Mait, near Togga Horgobble on slope of Mt Iddie, Thulin 4309 (UPS holo., EA K iso.)
Morphology General Habit
Small tree, c. 2.5–4 m tall; bark purplish black, smooth; young shoots greyish to purplish brown, longitudinally ridged, pubescent with spreading straight to ± crisped short hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves (5–)11–21-foliolate, 2.5–6 cm long; petiole 2–12 mm long; rhachis densely pubescent with spreading eglandular hairs, not winged; leaflets subsessile, opposite or subopposite, 3–6.5 x 1.5–4 mm, elliptic to obovate, the inner ones often suborbicular, obtuse at the apex, cuneate to rounded and ± asymmetric at the base, entire, somewhat paler beneath, densely pubescent with spreading hairs on both surfaces
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in pubescent few-flowered racemes up to c. 4 cm long; pedicels 2.5–7 mm long in fruit; bracts triangular, 1–2 mm long, pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Calyx pubescent, c. 1.2 mm long; petals c. 2 mm long, medially pubescent outside; filaments c. 0.8 mm long, ovate with filiform tip, papillose, anthers c. 0.6 mm long, papillose; style c. 0.8 mm long, stigma truncate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits 3–4-celled, subglobose, 8–12 x 7–11 mm, with wings up to 5 mm wide, glabrous; stones ± cross-like, c. 6.5–7 x 5.5–6 mm, rugose, surrounded by a persistent wing and forming a broadly ovate to subcircular c. 8–12 mm long dispersal unit.
Distribution
N2 not known elsewhere.
Ecology
Altitude range 150–250 m.
Vernacular
Muqlo (Somali).
Note
This is close to B. neglecta, and Thulin 4309 was cited as an extreme form of this in vol. 2: 187 (1999). B. globosa differs from B. neglecta in the subglobose (not pear-shaped) fruits, not much longer than wide, and in the broadly and persistently winged stones.
[FSOM]

Uses

Use
The bark is used for tanning.
[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

  • 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/

  • 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