FLORA OF ADEN. 
147 
XIV,— BURSERACEiE. 
Resinous trees or shrubs. Leaves generally alternate,, imparipinnate, 
3-foliate, in some cases 1 -foliate ; stipules generally 0. 
Flowers mostly small, hermaphrodite or polygamous, racemose or 
panicled. Calyx 8-5-fid or-partite, imbricate or valvate. Petals 
3-5, imbricate or valvate. Stamens as many or twice as many as 
petals, inserted on the margin or on the outside of a fleshy disk ; filaments 
free, rarely connate at the base ; staminodes 0 ; anthers 2-celled, dehis- 
cent longitudinally. Ovary free, 2-5-celled ; ovules generally 2 in 
each cell, axile, usually pendulous, rarely ascending. Stigma undivided 
or 2-5-lobed. 
Fruit drupaceous, either indehiscent with a 3-6-celled hard stone, 
or valvately dehiscent with several separate stones. Seeds pendulous j 
testa membranous ; albumen 0 ; cotyledous often lobed, generally twis- 
ted or crumpled. 
Genera 18 ; species over 300. 
Distribution : — Tropics of both hemispheres. 
Drupes indehiscent ; pyrenes not separating . . 1, Commiphora. 
Drupe dehiscent ; pyrenes separating ... 2. Boswellia. 
1. Commiphora Jacq. 
Small trees or shrubs, yielding aromatic resin. Branches often 
thorny. Leaves alternate, crowded at the ends of short branchlets, 
imparipinnate or 1-3-foliate. 
Flowers polygamous fasciculate on thickened nodes or short lateral 
branchlets, or on 1-4- flowered, axillary, jointed peduncles. Calyx cam- 
panulate or shortly tubular, 3-4-toothed, persistent. Petals 3-4, erect or 
with recurved tips, linear or oblanceolate-oblong, valvate or with the sides 
slightly imbricate and tips incurved in aestivation. Stamens 8-10, 
inserted on or outside the margin of a cupuliform disk, alternately 
shorter. Ovary 3-celled, rarely 2-4-eelled, narrowed into a short thick 
style ; stigma obtuse, 3-4-lobed ; ovules geminate, collateral, pendulous. 
Fruit a drupe, ovoid or subglobose, the rind splitting more or less 
irregularly into 2-6 valves, leaving the pulp exposed, which encloses the 
nuts, which are bony, 1 -seeded and partially connate. Seeds exalbu- 
minous ; embryo straight, the radicle pointing upwards ; cotyledons thin, 
crumpled and plaited. 
Species about 80. 
Distribution .-—Arabia, India, tropical and Southern Africa. 
Leaves simple . . . . . 1. C. abyssinica var. simplicifolia. 
Leaves mostly compound ♦ . . 2. C. opobalsamum. 
