Family: Burseraceae |
Flora of Somalia 2: 184 Plants shrubs or small to medium-sized trees, unarmed. exudate aromatic, hardening to a resin. Leaves usually imparipinnate, rarely simple, often clustered at the tops of the branches; minute, gland-tipped hairs often present, usually mixed with longer eglandular hairs; leaflets usually susessile, often subalternate. Infloresences panicles, racemes, or thyrses, produced with or before the leaves. Flowers usually bisexual, unisexual and the species dioecious in Madagascar; calyx 5-lobed; petals 5, free; stamens 10, free, inserted in 2 worls outside an conspicuous, annual, lobed disk, filaments of outer stamens sometimes wider than those of the inner stamens. Ovary 2-6(8)-celled; style simple, stigmatic regioin truncate to capitate or pear-shaped. Fruit a pseudocapsule, pear-shaped to ovoid-elliptic or sub-globose, 3-6(8)-angled, sometimes ±winged, tip truncate-pointed, outerwalls breaking away on dehiscence to disclose a winged axis with a 1-seeded "stone" in each cell; stones surrounded by a fragile outer layer which sometimes forms a more or less persistent wing. There are 17 species of Boswellia, all of which grow in rather dry areas from the Ivory Coast to India and southwards to northeastern Tanzania and northern Madagascar. Key to species in Somaliland and Somalia M. Thulin Flora of Somalia 2:184 The resins of most species may be burned as frankincense; some are used for chewing and medicinal purposes. Boswllia frereana and B. sacra are of major economic importance. M. Thulin in Flora of Somalia 1a. Leaflets with entire margins, up to 18 mm long and 10 mm wide, usually much smaller ... Bosellia neglecta 1b. Leaflets with crenate to undulate-sinuate margins, oftem much larger than 18 mm long and 10 mm ... 2 2a. Leaflets up to 23 mm long and 12 mm wide; filaments densely pilose; fruit pubescent .... Bosellia rivae 2b. Leaflets often much larger; filaments glabrous; fruits glabrous ... 3 3a. Leaflets pubescent to densely tomentose especially underneath, usually with crenate margins; petals white; disk shortly tubular; fruits 3-4(5)-celled ... Boswellia sacra 3b. Leaflets glabrous, minutely glandular or sparsely pubesent, with undulate-sinuate margins; petals reddish or greenish; disk saucer-shaped; fruits (5)6(8)-celled ... Bosellia frereana |