Boswellia papyrifera
{{short description|Species of African plant commonly used for incense}}
File:Giba near Gabat outlet.jpg gorge in Ethiopia) with, at left, a flowering Boswellia papyrifera tree]]
{{speciesbox
|genus = Boswellia
|species = papyrifera
|authority= (Delile ex Caill.) Hochst., 1843
|synonyms =
- Amyris papyrifera Delile ex Caill.
- Boswellia occidentalis Engl.
|synonyms_ref ={{GRIN | accessdate=24 September 2014}}
}}
Boswellia papyrifera, also known as the Sudanese frankincense,[http://www.dict.cc/english-german/Sudanese+frankincense.html Äthiopischer Weihrauch (Ethiopian incense)] is a species of flowering plant and frankincense that is native to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. The tree is cultivated in Ethiopia because of its valuable resin. The incense is characterized by a fresh lemon-pine scent{{Cite web |url=http://www.floracopeia.com/about/ethiopia-oils-and-resins/ |title=Ethiopian Oils and Resins |access-date=2017-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216133545/http://www.floracopeia.com/about/ethiopia-oils-and-resins/ |archive-date=2017-02-16 |url-status=dead }} and is therefore highly esteemed. In Ethiopia where it is called itan zaf,[http://www.isd.org.et/publications/Annual%20reports/ISD%202011%20Annual%20Report.pdf Agroforestry in Ethiopia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216144024/http://www.isd.org.et/publications/Annual%20reports/ISD%202011%20Annual%20Report.pdf |date=2017-02-16 }}, bottom of p. 3. it comes in semi-translucent yellow tears. The gum resin of Boswellia papyrifera coming from Ethiopia, Sudan and eastern Africa is believed to be the main source of frankincense of antiquity.{{cite journal |first= Arthur O. |last=Tucker |title=Frankincense and myrrh |journal=Economic Botany |date=October 1986 |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=425–433 |doi=10.1007/BF02859654|s2cid=12460227 }}
Chemical constituents
In studies conducted on the chemical properties of the oleo-gum resin of B. papyrifera, it was shown to contain a high concentration of octyl acetate (57.1–65.7%) and N-octanol (3.4–8.8%), the former accounting for its citric note. The species also contain diterpenes and nortriterpenes; the methanol extracts specifically consisting of the following diterpenes: incensole, incensyl acetate and verticilla-4(20),7,11-triene). It also contained the following triterpenes: β-amyrin, α-amyrin, β-amyrenone, and α-amyrenone. The oleogum resin also contained nortriterpenes (24-noroleana-3,12-diene and 24-norursa-3,12-diene) and α-boswellic acid.{{cite journal |first1=D. |last1=Bekana |first2=T. |last2=Kebede |first3=M. |last3=Assefa |first4=H. |last4=Kassa |title=Comparative Phytochemical Analyses of Resins of Boswellia Species (B. papyrifera (Del.) Hochst., B. neglecta S. Moore, and B. rivae Engl.) from Northwestern, Southern, and Southeastern Ethiopia |journal=ISRN Analytical Chemistry |volume=2014 |pages=1–9 |year=2014 |doi=10.1155/2014/374678 |doi-access=free }}