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| Boswellia oropedionis Thulin & M.H.Weber, in Thulin, Weber et Mubarak, 2025. |
Abstract
The new species Boswellia oropedionis Thulin and M.H.Weber is described, illustrated by photographs and mapped. This tree is only known from a small population growing on level limestone on the Qatariyah plateau in southern Socotra and is the twelfth endemic species of Boswellia from the Socotra archipelago. It differs from B. dioscoridis Thulin by having 7–9-foliolate leaves with pubescent nerves on the upper side, and by having larger flowers and fruits. Boswellia ameero Balf.f. is shown to have broadly winged pyrenes, an unusual feature in the genus and unique among the species on Socotra. Two new localities are reported for B. bullata Thulin, which is shown to have mostly narrowly winged pyrenes.
Keywords: endemic species, taxonomy, Yemen
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| Boswellia oropedionis sp. nov., from type locality, 21 May 2024. (A) tree, showing expanded trunk-base, (B) upper branches of tree, showing leaves, inflorescences and young fruits. Photographs by Michael Weber. |
Boswellia oropedionis Thulin and M.H.Weber sp. nov.
A species differing from Boswellia dioscoridis Thulin by having 7–9-foliolate leaves pubescent with crisped hairs along the nerves above (versus leaves mostly 11–17-foliolate and entirely glabrous above), petals 7.0 × 3.5 mm (versus 5.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm), stamens with filaments 3 mm (versus 1.5–2.0 mm) long and anthers 2.8 mm (versus 1.2–1.8 mm) long, disk 5.5 mm (versus 3.0–3.5 mm) in diameter, fruits 12–15 × 10–12 mm (versus 7–12 × 4–9 mm) and pyrenes 8.0–10.0 × 4.5–5.5 mm (versus 5.5–7.5 × 2.0–4.0 mm).
Etymology: The epithet ‘oropedionis' (from Greek for ‘of the plateau') refers to the habitat of the species.
Mats Thulin, Michael H. Weber and Sami Ali Mohammed Mubarak. 2025. Boswellia oropedionis (Burseraceae) sp. nov., a frankincense tree from Socotra, and notes on B. ameero and B. bullata. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/njb.04801 [08 May 2025]
