Commiphora

Quality 0.50 · 3 views · Updated 2 months ago

Genus of flowering plants

title: "Commiphora" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["commiphora", "burseraceae-genera", "dioecious-plants", "taxa-named-by-nikolaus-joseph-von-jacquin"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/commiphora" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commiphora" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants ::

| image = Commiphora caudata leaves.jpg | image_caption = Commiphora caudata | taxon = Commiphora | authority = Jacq. (1797) | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = ca. 190. See text. | synonyms =

  • Balessam Bruce (1790)
  • Balsamea Gled. (1782)
  • Balsamodendrum Kunth (1824)
  • Balsamophloeos O.Berg (1862)
  • Balsamus Stackh. (1814)
  • Bdellion Baill. ex Laness. (1886), not validly publ.
  • Hemprichia Ehrenb. (1829)
  • Heudelotia A.Rich. (1831)
  • Hitzera Klotzsch (1861)
  • Neomangenotia J.-F.Leroy (1976)
  • Niotoutt Adans. (1759)
  • Protionopsis Blume (1850)
  • Spondiopsis Engl. (1895) |synonyms_ref =

The common name myrrh refers to several species of the genus, from which aromatic resins are derived for various fragrance and medicinal uses by humans.

A previously unknown species belonging to this genus has been grown from a single ancient seed and tentatively identified as the biblical plant mentioned in the Bible as the source of a medicinal extract called tsori.

Description

Leaves in Commiphora are pinnately compound (or very rarely unifoliolate). Many species are armed with spines. Bark is often exfoliating, peeling in thin sheets to reveal colorful, sometimes photosynthetic, bark below. Stems are frequently succulent, especially in species native to drier environments. Flowers are typically dioecious (subdioecious) and fruits are drupes, usually with a 2-locular ovary (one is abortive). In response to wounding, the stems of many species will exude aromatic resins.

Ecology and biogeography

Commiphora can serve as a model genus for understanding plant evolution in the drier regions of the Old World tropics, particularly in eastern continental Africa and Madagascar, where diversity in the genus is concentrated. The closely related sister genus to Commiphora, Bursera, has been used as a model genus to study patterns of evolution in the New World seasonally dry tropical forests.

Use by humans

Products from many species of Commiphora have been used for various purposes, sometimes as timber, building material, and natural fencing, but more often valued for the aromatic resins produced by several members of the genus. "Myrrh", the common name for these dried resins, is fragrant and has been used both as fragrance and for medicinal purposes (e.g., Balsam of Mecca, C. gileadensis). Use of myrrh resin is frequent and pronounced throughout historical texts of cultural significance, including the Bible.

Ancient seed

An ancient seed recovered from an archaeological site in the Judean Desert has been confirmed to be a member of Commiphora. The 1,000-year-old seed has produced a tree growing at Louis Borick Natural Medicine Research Center.

Systematics and taxonomy

Studies using DNA sequence data have confirmed the monophyly of Commiphora; however, this data suggests that previous classification of the genus into sections does not reflect monophyletic interspecific relationships.

Species

181 species are accepted:

Gallery

Commiphora simplicifolia 02.jpg| Commiphora simplicifolia 01.jpg| Commiphora marlothii, habitus, Skrikfontein, a.jpg| Commiphora mollis, habitus, Skrikfontein, c.jpg|

References

References

  1. Daly et al. 2011. Burseraceae. Families and genera of vascular plants. 10:76–104.
  2. Weeks, A. and Simpson, B.B. 2007. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of ''Commiphora'' (Burseraceae) yields insight on the evolution and historical biogeography of an “impossible” genus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 42:62–79.
  3. "''Commiphora'' Jacq. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science".
  4. (2024-09-10). "Characterization and analysis of a Commiphora species germinated from an ancient seed suggests a possible connection to a species mentioned in the Bible". Communications Biology.
  5. Gillett, J.B. 1991. Burseraceae. In: Polhill, R.M. (Ed.), Flora of Tropical East Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. Pp. 1–95.
  6. De Nova, A. et al. 2011. Insights into the historical construction of species-rich Mesoamerican seasonally dry tropical forests: the diversification of Bursera (Burseraceae, Sapindales). New Phytologist. 193(1):276–287.
  7. Musselman, L.J. 2007. Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran. Timber Press, Inc. Portland, Oregon. Pp. 194–197.
  8. Hunt, Katie. (2024-10-03). "Lost biblical tree resurrected from 1,000 year-old seed".
  9. (2024-09-22). "Hadassah University Medical Center solves biblical mystery with ancient seed".
  10. Weeks, A., et al. 2005. The phylogenetic history and biogeography of the frankincense and myrrh family (Burseraceae) based on nuclear and chloroplast sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 35:85–101.
  11. "Species in GRIN for genus". www.ars-grin.gov.
  12. "Traditional skills of the Bushmen - Part 1: BUSHMAN WEAPONS".
  13. (1991). "The Botanical Origin of Scented Myrrh (Bissabol or Habak Hadi)". Economic Botany.
  14. "''Commiphora leptophloeos'' (Mart.) J.B.Gillett {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science".
  15. [https://protectedareas.mg/document/show/206602 TRANS-MAD Development Parc National de Kirindy-Mite]
  16. Hoffmann, Luise. (1 June 2017). "The Rock-corkwood (''Commiphora saxicola'')". [[The Namibian]].
  17. "Tropicos.org".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

commiphoraburseraceae-generadioecious-plantstaxa-named-by-nikolaus-joseph-von-jacquin