Tree Stories: Frankincense and Myrrh

Frankincense (L) and Myrrh (R) are two tears of trees that people think of this time of year. Both of these materials are widely used in secular settings and in many of the world’s religions.

Frankincense and myrrh are produced from wounds in the bark of Boswellia and Commiphora trees. The trees grow in open, dry woodlands in the eastern Arabian peninsula and the Horn of Africa. Today, these trees are vulnerable to extinction from overharvesting and climate change, but it is not too late to save them.