''Commiphora gileadensis'', the Arabian balsam tree, is a shrub species in the genus '' Commiphora'' growing in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, southern Oman,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and in southeast Egypt where it may have been introduced. Other

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s for the plant include balm of Gilead and Mecca

myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mi ...

, but this is due to historical confusion between several plants and the historically important expensive perfumes and drugs obtained from them. אפרסמון1

True balm of Gilead was very rare, and appears to have been produced from the unrelated tree ''

Pistacia lentiscus ''Pistacia lentiscus'' (also lentisk or mastic) is a dioecious evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus ''Pistacia'' native to the Mediterranean Basin. It grows up to tall and is cultivated for its aromatic resin, mainly on the Greek islan ...

''. The ''Commiphora gileadensis'' species also used to include ''

Commiphora foliacea 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 th ...

'', however it was identified and described as a separate species

Use

Historical

The plant was renowned for the expensive perfume that was thought to be produced from it, as well as for exceptional medicinal properties that were attributed to its sap, wood, bark, and seeds. ''Commiphora gileadensis'' is instantly recognisable by the pleasant smell given out when a twig is broken or a leaf crushed.

Modern

The bark of the balsam tree is cut to cause the sap to flow out. This soon hardens, and has a sweet smell that quickly evaporates. The hardened resinous gum is chewed, is said to taste either like a lemon or like pine resin, and it is also burned as incense.

Description

Depending on where ''Commiphora gileadensis'' is growing, it can vary in size, ranging from a small-leaved shrub to a large-leaved tree usually up to 4m tall. It is rarely spiny, bark peeling or flaking when cut and exuding a pleasant smelling resin. Its leaves alternate on short condensed side shoots, pinnate with 3-5 leaflets. The leaflets are oblong, 5-40mm long x 3-35mm across with acute tips and are thinly hairy. The flowers are red, sub-sessile and the plant has 1-5 of them on short condensed side shoots amongst the leaves. The fruits are dull red and marked with four longitudinal white stripes, one-seeded and splitting into 2-4 valves.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15543125 gileadensis