Plant · P-911

Myrrh

Commiphora myrrha

Myrrh is a spiny, deciduous desert shrub of the Horn of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, growing on shallow soil over limestone in thickets and open bushland. Wounds in its bark exude a fragrant gum oleo-resin used to flavor foods and beverages, burned as incense, and applied for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties in oral and skin care. It needs full sun, sharp drainage and a pronounced dry season, tolerating rainfall as low as 230 to 300 millimetres a year.