BOSWELLIA sacra

Boswellia sacra belonging to the Burseraceae family, is a deciduous woody plant, which reaches a height of 1.5 to 8 m, with one or more trunks. Its bark has the texture of paper and is easily removed. It has compound leaves clustered at the ends of entangled branches and an odd number of leaflets, which grow opposite each other along its branches. The new leaves are covered with a fine down. Its tiny, yellowish-white flowers are collected in axillary clusters of five petals, ten stamens and a five-toothed cup. Boswellia sacra is the main tree of the genus Boswellia from which frankincense, a dried resinous sap, is harvested. All parts of the tree are highly resinous.