Burseraceae
Family of tropical trees and shrubs that produce aromatic resins and essential oils of great commercial and ritual value. Includes the genera Boswellia (frankincense), Commiphora (myrrh), Bursera, and others. Many species have succulent trunks or branches that store water.
Boswellia
Boswellia
Genus of trees and shrubs in the family Burseraceae, native to the arid regions of eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India. They are the producers of frankincense, one of the most valued resins in human history. Their succulent trunks store water and nutrients. Several species are threatened by overexploitation and climate change.
Bursera
Bursera
Genus of trees and shrubs in the family Burseraceae, with about 100 species distributed mainly in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. They are the so-called "copales" or "cuajiotes" in Mexico, highly valued in caudiciform collections for their papery or exfoliating bark trunks, often in striking colors (green, red, yellow). They produce aromatic resins used in pre-Hispanic religious ceremonies and as incense. They are extremely drought-resistant, deciduous or semi-deciduous, and very popular in bonsai and succulent and caudiciform plant collections.
Commiphora
Commiphora
Elaphrium
Elaphrium
Elaphrium is an older genus of deciduous and caudiciform trees in the family Burseraceae, native to Mexico and Central America. Commonly known as copals or torotes, they are characterized by their swollen resinous trunk, peeling bark, and aromatic resins used since pre-Hispanic times in rituals, medicine, and incense. Most species are now placed under Bursera, though the name Elaphrium retains historical and taxonomic value.