Commiphora

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Sapindales

Familia: Burseraceae
Tribus: Bursereae
Genus: Commiphora
Species: C. acuminata – C. africana – C. alata – C. alaticaulis – C. anacardiifolia – C. andranovoryensis – C. angolensis – C. angustefoliolata – C. ankaranensis – C. antunesii – C. aprevalii – C. arafy – C. arenaria – C. baluensis – C. benguelensis – C. berardelli – C. berryi – C. boranensis – C. brevicalyx – C. buruxa – C. caerulea – C. campestris – C. capensis – C. capuronii – C. caudata – C. cervifolia – C. chaetocarpa – C. chiovendana – C. ciliata – C. coleopsis – C. confusa – C. corrugata – C. crenatoserrata – C. cyclophylla – C. dalzielii – C. dinteri – C. discolor – C. drakebrockmanii – C. edulis – C. elliptica – C. eminii – C. engleri – C. enneaphylla – C. erlangeriana – C. erosa – C. falcata – C. foliacea – C. franciscana – C. fraxinifolia – C. fulvotomentosa – C. gardoensis – C. gariepensis – C. giessii – C. gileadensis – C. glandulosa – C. glaucescens – C. gorinii – C. gracilifrondosa – C. grandifolia – C. guidottii – C. guillauminii – C. gurreh – C. harveyi – C. hildebrandtii – C. hodai – C. hornbyi – C. horrida – C. humbertii – C. kaokoensis – C. karibensis – C. kataf – C. kerstingii – C. kraeuseliana – C. kua – C. kucharii – C. kuneneana – C. lacerata – C. lamii – C. lasiodisca – C. laxecymigera – C. leandriana – C. lobatospathulata – C. madagascariensis – C. mafaidoha – C. mahafaliensis – C. marchandii – C. marlothii – C. mildbraedii – C. mollis – C. mombassensis – C. monoica – C. monstruosa – C. morondavensis – C. mossambicensis – C. mossamedensis – C. mulelame – C. multifoliolata – C. multijuga – C. murraywatsonii – C. myrrha – C. namaensis – C. namibensis – C. neglecta – C. oblanceolata – C. oblongifolia – C. obovata – C. oddurensis – C. orbicularis – C. ornifolia – C. otjihipana – C. ovalifolia – C. paolii – C. parvifolia – C. pedunculata – C. pervilleana – C. planifrons – C. playfairii – C. pseudopaolii – C. pteleifolia – C. pterocarpa – C. pubescens – C. pyracanthoides – C. quadricincta – C. quercifoliola – C. razakamalalae – C. rostrata – C. samharensis – C. sarandensis – C. saxicola – C. schimperi – C. schlechteri – C. sennii – C. serrata – C. serrulata – C. setulifera – C. simplicifolia – C. sinuata – C. socotrana – C. spathulata – C. sphaerocarpa – C. sphaerophylla – C. spinulosa – C. staphyleifolia – C. stellatopubescens – C. stellulata – C. steynii – C. stolonifera – C. sulcata – C. swynnertonii – C. tenuipetiolata – C. tetramera – C. truncata – C. tsimanampetsae – C. ugogensis – C. ulugurensis – C. unilobata – C. viminea – C. virgata – C. wightii – C. wildii – C. woodii – C. zanzibarica
Name

Commiphora Jacq., Pl. Rar. Hort. Schoenbr. 2: 66. (1797)

Type species: Commiphora madagascariensis Jacq. (1797)

Synonyms

Balessam Bruce
Balsamea Gled.
Balsamodendron DC.
Balsamodendrum Kunth
Balsamophloeos O.Berg
Balsamus Stackh.
Bdellion Baill. ex Laness.
Hemprichia Ehrenb.
Heudelotia A. Rich. in J. B. A. Guillemin, Perrottet & A. Richard,
Hitzera Klotzsch
Neomangenotia J.-F. Leroy
Niotoutt Adans.
Protionopsis Blume
Spondiopsis Engl.

References

Jacquin, N.J.v., 1797. Plantarum Rariorum Horti Caesarei Schoenbrunnensis 2: 66.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Commiphora. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul. 12. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Commiphora in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul. 12. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Commiphora. Published online. Accessed: Jul. 12 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Commiphora. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul 12.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Commiphora in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: Myrrh
suomi: Mirhapuut

The genus of the myrrhs, Commiphora, is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of Africa, the western Indian Ocean islands, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and Vietnam.[1][2] The genus is drought-tolerant and common throughout the xerophytic scrub, seasonally dry tropical forests, and woodlands of these regions.

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.

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).[3] 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.[4]
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).[5] Use of myrrh resin is frequent and pronounced throughout historical texts of cultural significance, including the Bible.
Systematics and taxonomy

Recent studies using DNA sequence data have confirmed the monophyly of Commiphora;[2][6] however, this data suggests that previous classification of the genus into sections does not reflect monophyletic interspecific relationships.
Species

Species include:[7]

Commiphora africana (A.Rich.) Engl. (syn. Heudelotia africana),[8] sometimes identified with ancient bdellium. Used indirectly by the San bushmen to poison their arrow tips for hunting [9]
Commiphora alaticaulis J.B.Gillett & Vollesen
Commiphora angolensis Engl., also known as "sand commiphora", growing mainly in Angola and Namibia
Commiphora aprevalii Guillaumin, endemic to Madagascar
Commiphora boranensis Vollesen[8]
Commiphora caudata (Wight & Arn.) Engl.[8]
Commiphora ciliata Vollesen
Commiphora confusa Vollesen
Commiphora corrugata J.B.Gillett & Vollesen[8]
Commiphora erosa Vollesen
Commiphora gileadensis (L.) C.Chr.[8] (syn. Commiphora opobalsamum), producing balsam of Mecca.
Commiphora glandulosa Schinz
Commiphora guidottii Chiov. ex Guid. (syn. Commiphora sessiliflora), producing habak hadi, known as bisabol, opoponax, scented or sweet myrrh.[10]
Commiphora guillauminii H.Perrier
Commiphora habessinica (O.Berg) Engl.
Commiphora harveyi (Engl.) Engl.
Commiphora humbertii H.Perrier
Commiphora kataf (Forssk.) Engl.(syn. Commiphora holtziana Engl, Commiphora erythraea (Ehrenb.) Engl.), producing habak hagar, known as sweet myrrh, sometimes sold as opoponax.[10]
Commiphora kua (R.Br. ex Royle) Vollesen
Commiphora madagascariensis Jacq.
Commiphora monoica Vollesen
Commiphora mossambicensis (Oliv.) Engl.
Commiphora myrrha (Nees) Engl. (syn. Commiphora molmol), producing myrrh.
Commiphora saxicola Engl., Rock corkwood, a shrub endemic to Namibia[11]
Commiphora schimperi (O.Bergman) Engl.
Commiphora simplicifolia H.Perrier[12]
Commiphora sphaerocarpa Chiov
Commiphora stocksiana (Engl.) Engl., known in Pakistan as bayisa gugal
Commiphora unilobata J.B.Gillett & Vollesen
Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari (syn. Commiphora mukul[13]), producing gum guggul, sometimes identified with ancient bdellium.

Gallery

Commiphora simplicifolia

Commiphora simplicifolia

References

Daly et al. 2011. Burseraceae. Families and genera of vascular plants. 10:76–104.
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.
Gillett, J.B. 1991. Burseraceae. In: Polhill, R.M. (Ed.), Flora of Tropical East Africa. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. Pp. 1–95.
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.
Musselman, L.J. 2007. Figs, Dates, Laurel, and Myrrh: Plants of the Bible and the Quran. Timber Press, Inc. Portland, Oregon. Pp. 194–197.
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.
"The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved June 5, 2014.
"Species in GRIN for genus". www.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
Moorcroft, Koos; Gunduza, Raphael, Traditional skills of the Bushmen - Part 1: BUSHMAN WEAPONS
Thulin, Mats; Claeson, Per (1991). "The Botanical Origin of Scented Myrrh (Bissabol or Habak Hadi)". Economic Botany. 45 (4): 487–494. doi:10.1007/BF02930711. ISSN 0013-0001. JSTOR 4255391. S2CID 22229398.
Hoffmann, Luise (1 June 2017). "The Rock-corkwood (Commiphora saxicola)". The Namibian. Meet the trees of Namibia. p. 9.
"Commiphora simplicifolia in A Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
"Tropicos.org". Retrieved June 6, 2014.