24. BURSERACE^. 



[Boswellia. 



Okder 24. BURSERACE^. 



Balsamiferous trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, generally com- 

 pound, stipulate or exstipulate. Flowers small, regular, hermaphro- 

 dite, polygamous. Calyx 3-6-lobed. Petals 3-6, imbricate or valvate. 

 Disk annular, usually conspicuous, free or adnate to the base of the 

 calyx. Stamens equal to or twice the number of petals, inserted at the 

 base or margin of the disk, equal or unequal ; filaments free. Ovary 

 free, 1-5-celled ; style simple ; stigma undivided or 2-5-lobed ; ovules 2 

 in each cell, axile. Fruit drupaceous, rarely capsular and dehiscent. 

 Seeds one or few, pendulous, exalbuminous j cotyledons usually twisted 

 or crumpled ; radicle superior. 



Fruit a 3-valved capsule, pyrencs separat- 

 ing from the axis 1. BoSVVELLiA. 



Fruit iudcliisccnt, drupaceous — 



Calyx 5-fid, bell-shaped 2. Garfqa. 



Calyx 4-toothcd, urceolate 3. Balsa moi>endron. 



Calyx 3-fid, campauulate 4. Canauiuji. 



1. BOSWELLIA, Roxb. 



Resinous trees with white, thin bark. Leaves imparipinnate, deci- 

 duous, leaflets opposite, sessile, serrate. Flowers small, white,, 

 hermaphrodite. Calyx 5-toothed. Petals 5. Disk annular, crenate. 

 Stamens 10, alternately longer and shorter, inserted at the base of the 

 disk. Ovary 3-celled ; ovules 2 in each cell, pendulous. Fruit a 

 3-valved capsule, opening septifragally, the dissepiments remaining 

 attached to the axis and bearing 3 seeds, pendulous from the top of 

 the inner angle and enclosed in a hard bony shell with a broad mem- 

 branous wing, the endocarp of the fruit separated from the pericarp. 

 Seed exalbuminous ; cotyledons trifid, lobes laciniate j radicle 

 superior. 



B. serrata, Roxb., ex Ooleb. in Aslat. Res. IX. 379. t. 5; Fl. Br. L 

 1. 528. jB. thurifera, Roxb. ; Brandis For. Fl. 61 ; Bedd. FL Sylv. 52. 



Salcti^ salphuUie, Vern. 



Forests at the foot of the Himalaya as far west as the Sutlej, Central 

 India from Bahar to Rajpntana, the Deccau to within 20 miles of the- 

 W. ghats ; very abundant on the Satpuras ; nearly pure but sometimes 

 mixed with Sterculia ureas, and other species in the Kh^ndesh forests. 

 Belgaum CoUectorate, Padshapore. The old leaves fall about March-Apl. 

 Fl. Feb.- June. Fresh foliage appears in Jane. Bark "5 in. thick, greenish 

 ash-coloured, scaling off in thin papery flakes ; inner bark brown. Wood 

 light-colonred, becomes dark on exposure, soft, not durable, coarse and 

 open-grained ; weighs about 36 lbs. to the cub. ft. Used for fuel and 

 charcoal. Along with other species yields frankincense or olibannm 

 which is used medicinally and is sold in the bazars under the name of 

 Labamt, Kttnclur : the principal source of supply of frankincense is from 

 other species of Boswellia growing in Somaliland. 



