Frankincense

Frankincense
Boswellia carteri tree that produces frankincense, growing inside Biosphere 2

Frankincense, also known as olibanum (/oʊˈlɪbənəm/),[1] is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia in the family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French franc encens ('high-quality incense').[2] There are several species of Boswellia that produce true frankincense:[3] Boswellia sacra (syn. B. bhaw-dajiana, syn. B. carteri), B. frereana, B. serrata (B. thurifera, Indian frankincense), and B. papyrifera. Resin from each is available in various grades, which depends on the time of harvesting. The resin is hand-sorted for quality.

  1. ^ "Medical Definition of OLIBANUM". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference OED1933_Frankincense was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Fobar R (13 December 2019). "Frankincense trees—of biblical lore—are being tapped out for essential oils". National Geographic. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.