Home Page > Picture Archives > Flora of Qatar > Burseraceae > Boswellia sacra

Boswellia sacra Flueck.

Synonyms

Boswellia bhaw-dajiana, Boswellia carteri, Boswellia undulatocrenata

Common names

Frankincense tree

Extract from Wikipedia article

Boswellia sacra (also frankincense and olibanum-tree) is a tree in the Burseraceae family, which is the primary tree in the genus Boswellia from which is frankincense (a resinous dried sap) is harvested. The olibanum tree is plant native to the Arabian Peninsula, specifically to the countries of Oman and Yemen, and to the Horn of Africa, specifically Somalia).

AI-generated Description

Boswellia sacra, also known as frankincense, is a tree native to the Middle East and North Africa. In Qatar, it has been found to grow in the wild, particularly in the southern and western regions. Archaeological evidence suggests that Boswellia sacra was cultivated and traded in Qatar for its resin, which has medicinal and cultural significance, dating back to ancient times.

Frankincense tree (Boswellia sacra) in Rawdat Al Faras Research Station (RAFRS, or Qatar University Farm) near Al Zubara Road. Qatar, April 20, 2016
Unnamed Road, Al-Ghuwayriyah, Qatar

AI-generated summary of observations

The Frankincense tree (Boswellia sacra) was observed at the Rawdat Al Faras Research Station (RAFRS), also known as Qatar University Farm, located near Al Zubara Road in Qatar on April 20, 2016. The tree's growth habits and characteristics were noted, providing insight into its adaptation to the local environment. Observations revealed that the tree has a distinctive, twisted trunk with branches that spread outwards, forming a canopy that provides shade. The leaves are small, oval-shaped, and clustered at the end of branches, while the bark is papery and peels off easily. The tree's roots are known to grow deep into the soil, allowing it to tap into groundwater, which is essential for its survival in arid environments like Qatar. Overall, the observation highlighted the unique features of Boswellia sacra and its ability to thrive in harsh conditions.

Links

• Flora of Qatar.
• Unknown plants or plants without names.
• Duplicate and extra pictures of plants.
• Earlier version of collection of plants.
• Other collections of pictures from Qatar: Lizards of Qatar, Cats of Qatar, Camels of Qatar, and Fish of Qatar.
• Picture archives.
• Home page of A. Sergeev.

Outside links

• Boswellia sacra, Wikipedia article
• Boswellia sacra from www.theplantlist.org
• Ekhlas M. M. Abdel Bary, The Flora of Qatar, Volume I: The Dicotyledons. Doha 2012
• Flora of Qatar, Volume II: The Monocotyledons
• Illustrated Checklist of the Flora of Qatar. John Norton et al. 2009
• Qatar eNature. Flora
• Ali Al-Rawi, Flowering plants of Kuwait, 1985
• Plants of Kuwait
• Flora of Saudi Arabia, Al-Qassim Region
• Flora of Eastern Saudi Arabia by Rain and Dust at Flickr
• Plants of South-Western Morocco
• Pictures from Qatar (Flickr/cpmkutty)
• Arabian plants by Gary Brown
• Flora of Israel

How the web page was created

• A list of plants with their common names was written using online sources and books.
• Web pages were written by a program consisting of several scripts.
• Full names, synonyms, and classification of plants were found online from catalogueoflife.org and theplantlist.org using a script.
• Pictures of plants were selected from a database using a script.
• This web page was written using a script.

Acknowledgements

QNHG (Qatar Natural History Group) and associated people, for a possibility to participate in their field excursions and to learn about local nature.