Commiphora bushland in eastern Hiraan Region, Somalia (Photo: Peter Kuchar)

THE BURSERACEAE

Those of you who downloaded digital copies of The Burseraceae by Kuchar and Gillett on storiesofeastafrica.com will welcome the updated version now available at Kuchar & Gillett – The Burseraceae (Dec 2025).

For those unfamiliar with the term, Burseraceae is a family of shrubs and small trees. In Somalia, it comprises two genera, Boswellia and Commiphora, the latter probably the most diverse, abundant, economically important, yet worst understood and documented genus of woody plants in the Horn of Africa. This report not only explains why but also includes information (Somali names, uses etc.) about Burseraceae species in (pre-1989) Central Somalia, not to mention a very useful vegetative key for identifying them.