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NOTES NOMENCLATURE/TAXONOMY
B. bhau-dajiana Birdw. has been labeled by some authors as a synonym of B. carteri
Birdw. Vollesen, however, in his account of the family for the Flora of Ethiopia,
refers to it as a separate taxon, endemic to N.E. Somalia
Synonyms, B. carteri: The frankincense trees in Arabia, called B. carteri by
Birdwood and many subsequent authors, were previously regarded as distinct from
B. sacra in Somalia. Birdwood stated that the difference was that in the Somalian
plants "the stamens are inserted into the sides of the disc" and not
at the base of the disc. Monod doubted the correctness of the stamen difference
but still maintained B. sacra and B. carteri as distinct species, mainly on the
basis of differences in habit. However, he knew the habit of the Somalian plants
only through the photographs reproduced by Hepper (cited in) and
the variation in Somalia is actually considerable. The habit seems to be at least
in part environmentally conditioned - a swelling of the trunk being better developed
in plants growing on rocks. This suggests that only one species, B. sacra distributed
both in Somalia and Arabia, is involved
VERNACULAR NAMES
(Somalia) - mohor madow, mohor ad: Communicants in the Mait area gave varying
answers when asked the difference between these two names; some people said the
terms distinguished between the color of the resin, and others between plants
growing on different types of rocks. There are no morphological differences between
mohor madow and mohor ad, and there can be no doubt that they belong to the same
species. It is suggested that in this area the two names may be used to distinguish
between the trees on the main escarpment and those on the coastal hills. The
distance between these hills and the main escarpment often exceeds 10 km
(Somalia) - mohor madow, mohor add: Somalis often make a distinction between
these. In the area near Mait the names designate forms of "mohor" growing
in different habitats: "mohor madow" inhabit the hills of the subcoastal
zone and "mohor add" the lower slopes of the main escarpment further
inland. Near Candala, further east, "mohor madow" or "lufod" was
used for trees of B. sacra growing at c. 700 m together with B. frereana Birdw.,
while "mohor add" was used for trees at higher altitudes
Somali - beyo: Mainly refers to the gum but is sometimes used to refer to the
tree
Somali - lufod: Sometimes used to designate trees of B. sacra growing with B.
frereana Birdw.
Somali - mohor: This name (or variants) is often combined with various adjectives
to designate the habitat, quality etc. of the tree, giving vernacular names such
as mohor add (add = white), mohor madow (or meddu) (madow = black), mohor san
(san = good) or mohor lab or lub (lab = male)
Trade name (India): Nowadays in India, the luban sold in the markets is
usually not the resin of B. sacra but the products of Styrax benzoin Dryand.
from Indonesia or S. tonkinensis Craib ex Hartwich from Thailand, both generally
known as gum benzoin
Trade name - frankincense: Derived from the Old French "franc encens",
meaning pure incense or, more literally, free lighting
Trade name [oleo-gum-resin]: Frankincense and olibanum are commonly used names
for the oleo-gum-resin of Boswellia trees.
The terms are used in trade and in many regions of the world
Trade name [oleo-gum-resin]: The resinous exudate of B. carteri (B. sacra) is
regarded as the "true olibanum"
DISTRIBUTION
Arabia: B. sacra extends from the Hasik area in Dhofar (Oman), west to near Habban
(46.30'E) in the eastern part of the Hadhramaut (Yemen). B. sacra is the only
species found in Arabia
Arabia: B. sacra is the only Boswellia species native to Arabia
Arabia: The distribution extends eastwards to Ras Hasik in Dhofar (Oman), where
it is most characteristic of the upper desert plateau country behind the coastal
monsoon zone, although some trees were reported by Mandaville along the coastal
slopes
Ethiopia: Vollesen, in his account of the family for the Flora of Ethiopa, considers
that B. sacra is likely to be present in Ethiopia because it occurs just east
of the border in N. Harerge, Somalia
Somalia: The southernmost locality in Somalia is the Karkar Mountains between
Gardo and Iscusciuban, 800 m. See note on 'Variation' under DESCRIPTION, below,
for more specific localities
Yemen: Within Yemen, the tree is more common in the moister coastal areas of
southern Yemen
DESCRIPTION
Bark: Papery, peeling bark
Exudates: All parts highly resinous
Flowers: In auxiliary racemes, crowded at the end of branches; racemes up to
10 cm. Calyx 5-lobed. Petals 5, yellow-white, spreading. Stamens 10. Ovary surrounded
by a fleshy disc
Fruits: Capsule, obovoid, 8-12 mm, 3-5 angled, opening by 3-5 valves
Habit: Trees have single trunks or, more commonly, several from base
Leaves: Clustered at tips of branches, imparipinnate; leaflets opposite, 6-8
pairs, oblong, margin crenate, tomentose
Stems: The trees adhere to boulders of rock-faces by means of a cushion- or disk-like
swelling at the base of the trunk. This swollen base seems to be important in
stabilising the tree and is best developed in trees growing on very steep or
exposed rocks but less so, or not at all, in the occasional trees which grow
in gravel or in planted specimens
Stems: Young branches densely tomentose
Variation: The variation within B. sacra mainly concerns habit, shape and indumentum
of leaflets, amount of branching of inflorescences, and shape of fruits. One
extreme found in Somalia is of comparatively tall trees growing on rocks, with
a distinct trunk, swollen at the base, leaflets which are tomentose beneath and
distinctly serrate-crenate, scarcely undulate and comparatively narrow, more
or less paniculate inflorescences and usually narrow fruits. A population with
such characters occurs along the northern slopes of the Al Mado range between
Galgala and Mait. The population in the Karkar Mountains, a much drier area,
is in marked contrast. The trees grow in stony soil, are lower and branch from
the scarcely swollen base, have markedly undulate, broader and less hairy leaflets,
flowers often in simple racemes, and broader fruits. There are various intermediate
populations in north-east Somalia, while the trees from the westernmost population
in Somalia are morphologically (vegetative parts known only - Gillet 4662)
closer to the population in Karkar than to the more adjacent one in Mado. The
trees on the Arabian Peninsula are generally branched from the base which is
apparently never markedly swollen, the leaflets are more or less undulate and
sometimes serrate-crenate, the inflorescences vary from racemes to panicles and
the fruits vary from narrow (Hadhramaut, Yemen) to broad (Dhofar, Oman)
IDENTIFICATION
Characterised by alternate, pinnately compound leaves and white or pale pink
flowers in axillary racemes
History: The prevailing view in Europe up to the 1830s was that frankincense
was a resin of a species of Juniperus
Oleo-gum-resin: A rapid and reliable test for the identification of the botanical
origin of olibanum has been developed. Thin layer chromatograms for B. carteri
(B. sacra) are shown by Hairfield et al. (1984). They are easily distinguished
from those of B. papyrifera (Delile)Hochst. ex A.Rich. and B. serrata Roxb. The
B. carteri chromatograms are very similar to those produced by "Somalian
olibanum" obtained in the U.S.A.
The affinity of B. sacra seems closest to B. papyrifera (Delile)Hochst. ex A.Rich.
from which it differs mainly in its non-precocious flowers, white (not reddish)
petals, 3-4(-5)-locular (not consistently 3-locular) and smaller fruits (8-12
mm versus at least 15-20 mm long when normally developed)
FOOD - 'ROOTS'
Debarked 'roots', beverages: The inner white root of a young plant was chewed
for the thirst-quenching sweet liquid it provided
Debarked 'roots', raw: Tiny plants can be pulled up and the peeled root chewed
as a combined food and drink
FOOD ADDITIVES - EXUDATES
Gum, wines, other additive types: Frankincense was added to wine as a perfume,
but drinking too much of this mixture was said to cause madness and even death
[1593]
Resin, infusions: In eastern Saudi Arabia the gum is added to coffee. It is not
clear from the reference whether this is done for the flavour or purely as a
palatable alternative to chewing the gum for its medicinal benefits
ANIMAL FOOD - FERTILE PLANT PARTS
Fruits, mammals, fodder: Fruits were gathered as a tasty treat for favored animals
[1593]
ANIMAL FOOD - AERIAL PARTS
Leaves, fodder: Extremely important in the past, especially in drier areas, B.
sacra leaves were the favored fodder for weak or parturient livestock. Those
at work tapping the frankincense would also fill sacks with leaves and send them
back to the livestock encampments[1593]
BEE PLANTS
The flowers have been observed to be popular with bees in Dhofar
MATERIALS
Oleo-gum-resin properties: The frankincense of commerce consists of ovoid or
pear-shaped tears, or stalactitic fragments, varying much in size, usually pale
yellow, but often with a reddish or greenish tinge. They are brittle, easily
broken with the fingers, and form a plastic mass when chewed. The taste is slightly
bitter and the odor fragrant
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