08/05/2025
8-day germination on Frankincense (Boswellia serrata) seed. New crop available online at Strictly Medicinal Seeds. I soaked these for 3 days--kinda forgot about 'em--then planted in fast-draining mix in a warm greenhouse. It was cool to see the soil surface crack as the cotyledons made their way to the light. May all seeds germinating guide us to the light.
Indian Frankincense (Boswellia serrata)
Family: Myrrh (Burseraceae)
Hardy to Zones 10 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted tree and kept indoors for the winter. Short periods of dry cold down to 20 degrees F may be tolerated, but for all practical purposes protect from frost.
(Indian Frankincense) Deciduous, tuberous tree to 45 feet tall flowering in showy sprays of yellow and red. Native to India, North Africa and the Middle East. Trees are self-fertile and flowering starts around year 8. Source of burnable oleo-gum-resin, which exudes from any wound and dries in amber tears. Rare in cultivation. Tree prefers full sun and a dry, well-drained soil of pH 5.5 to 6.5. Will withstand shallow, poor soils but grows larger in richer, deeper soils. Fire resistant. Resprouts readily after pruning or coppicing. Traditional use of oleo-gum-resin and bark dates back over 2,000 years (Ayurveda): Hypoglycemic, sedative and analgesic. Used for treating diabetes, hysteria, lung and liver disease, also dysentery. Used externally in treatment of ulcerations and skin diseases. Also used as a spiritual offering as a burnable incense that clarifies the air and bolsters devotion. Cultivation: Standard culture for dryland tree species--soak seed in water overnight, use a fast-draining mix, plant the seed 1/4 inch deep, tamp securely and keep warm, in the light and evenly moist until germination. Allow to grow without disturbance until the stem becomes quite woody, then up-pot, always using a fast-draining mix and providing plenty of warmth and bright light. Water regularly when the tree is in leaf and water infrequently or not at all when the tree is dormant. Even young seedlings produce a tuber. Aerial parts may senesce back down to the tuber during dormancy of years 1 to 3. Aerial parts are produced during the summer growth phase. Therefore do not discard young potted plants that lose their aerial portion, as the perennial part of the plant at this stage is the tuber. When potting up, use Cactus mix. Start with a 4-inch pot, then go up to a gallon and finish in 3-gallon pots. Outdoors (dry tropics), space 30 feet apart.
