Herbarium JCB

Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Coleb.

Family : BURSERACEAE
(BURSERA FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Burseraceae
Species : Boswellia serrata
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr.
Common name : Indian Olibanum Tree, Indian Frankincense, White Dammar
Vernacular name : Shallaki (Hin.); Madi, Dhupada mara, Chitta (Kan.); Kungiliyam, Kundrikam, Andaka, Guggulumaram (Tam.); Anduga, Tellaguggilamu (Tel.); Salia (Ori.); Shallaki (San.)
Collection Nos : RRLB 6434
Collector(s) Name : H.O Saxena & M. Brahmam
Collection Date : 11/05/88
Collection Locality : Barojharan, Gandhamardan hills, Bargarh district, Odisha
Endemism : Central and Peninsular India
Key identification features : A large-sized deciduous tree. Bark thin, yellow or greenish-ash coloured exfoliating into thin papery smooth flakes. Leaves are unipinnate and crowded at the branch ends; leaflets 15-31, deeply crenate. Flowers are small, white and occur in fascicled racemes. Stamens are inserted at the base of a red annular disk. Fruit is a three valved capsule.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : January-August
Native : India
Comments : On hills in gravely soil and in dry deciduous forests up to 900 m of Eastern Ghats. The tree regenerates freely by itsef. A green gum resin that exudes from the wounds in the bark is used for incense and medicinally as a diaphoretic and astringent and in ointment making. Wood pulp used for news print making. (Neginhal, S.G., 2011).
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Bellary district (Karnataka State); Kalrayan Hills, Bodamalai Hills (Salem district), Chitteri Hills (Dharmapuri district), Pacchamalai Hills (Tiruchirapalli district) (Tamil Nadu State); Guntur district, Kurnool district, Visakhapatnam district, Kadapa district (Andhra Pradesh State); Mehbubnagar district (Telangana State); Angul district, Puri district, Gandhamardan Hills (Bargarh district), Bolangir district (Odisha State)
World Distribution : India
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1 ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.; Naidu, M.T. & O.A. Kumar (2015). Tree species diversity in the Eastern Ghats of northern Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(8): 7443-7459; Neginhal, S.G., Forest Trees of the Western Ghats includes Eastern Ghats and Deccan Plateau. 2011.
Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Boswellia serrata. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.