Boscia arabica Pestal.

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The Arabian Boscia

In Omani studies: Miller & Morris (1988) wrote that: "The straight trunk of Boscia arabica, which grows mainly in the plains and foothills of the coast and in the high, drier plateaux, was formerly of some importance in building, often being used to provide the central pillars [J: ensebet] on which the cross beams rested in the traditional circular houses [J: esterit] and cattle byres [J: dekef, hador]. The wood has the added advantage that it is resistant to termite attack as well as apparently being equally unattractive to the many other wood boring insects. In areas where trees are scarce, the pillars shaped from the trunk of these trees were even on occasion an inheritable item. Medicinally, the bark [J: kizfot esir] was the most important part of the tree. It was stripped off, fire – blackened, then pounded to a powder and stored. This powder was used to ... pack a deep or festering wound to prevent further infection, and to dry it out and assist the healing process. A leather skin bag which has become tainted was treated with the same powder mixed to a paste with water and a little oil: the skin was rubbed and rolled hard [J: fhoz] over a flat surface until every trace of dirt and smell has gone. The large grape-like fruit that appear at the end of the summer, green at first then ripening to a clear yellow, are edible, though the large round pip in the centre of the fruit is spat out. This fruit is called in Jibbali ferhes, and appears in a poem: ''...gid hes ferhes her enxebteyt b-felo ebger w-ahfol z' tik..." "...as delicious as the fruit of the B. arabica tree once the have ripened, or even when still green, or as the fruit of the fig tree...". The leaves are good fodder, and sprigs were collected and the leaves stripped from the slimmer branches and taken by herders as fodder [J: kunum] to their livestock, especially camels, though other livestock appreciate them as well. Indeed it is said that the leaves and side twigs of this tree could, if necessary, replace the traditional dried sardines as dry-season fodder, with almost as good results. However, the foliage was more normally used as a mix [J: xult] to add to the dried sardine to tempt the livestock with their fresh smell and green colour. The wood was often cut to make quicklime [J: nirt], but as firewood it was not appreciated – it makes a lot of smoke and also taints food being cooked on it with an unpleasantly caustic and acrid taste. This tree is seen as being the 'male' of the 'female' eshayb: Maerua crassifolia. The root was used to treat recurrent fever [J: msiltot], and to less often to treat attacks of rigor [J: ergefet] or a persistent fever [J: tutemim], but these cures as always were the preserve of specialists in this sort of treatment and could only be prescribed by them". (Ref. Plants of Dhofar). In addition, Pickering & Patzelt (2008) mentioned: "The wood is termite resistant and therefore useful for building". (Ref. Field Guide to the Wild Plants of Oman; 2008).

*Ghazanfar, S. (2003). Flora of the Sultanate of Oman, vol.1: Piperaceae – Primulaceae. Meise, National Botanic Garden of Belgium (Scripta Botanica Begica, Vol. 25). ISBN 90-72619-55-2 ISSN 0779-2387. *Miller, A., Morris, M. (1988). Plants of Dhofar, the Southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic, and Medicinal Uses. Published by Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman; ISBN 10: 0715708082 ISSN 13: 9780715708088. *https://en.wikipedia.org *Gledhill, D. (2008). The Names of Plants. Fourth Edition. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-86645-3 ISSN 978-0-521-68553-5. *Patzelt, A. (2015). Oman Plant Red Data Book. Published by Diwan of Royal Court, Sultanate of Oman. Oman Botanic Garden Publication No. 1. ISBN 978-99969-50-10-0. *Miller, A.G. & Cope, T.A. (1996). Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra 1: 1-586. Edinburgh university press. ISBN 0748604758. *POWO (2023). ""Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet; ... http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org *Pickering, H. Patzelt, A. (2008). Field Guide to the Wild Plants of Oman. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. ISBN 9781842461778.