A boswellia dioscoridis seedling – a rare sight on Socotra, as they are all eaten by the ever present and insatiable goats. Due to the goats this and all other boswellia species are under severe threat as they a re unable to regenerate. Without human intervetion these species will slowly go extinct. Fortunately there are several regeneration projects with several enclosures scattered around Socotra, where goats are unable to do any harm.
Boswellia dioscoridis is one of at least 8 species of Boswellia found only on Socotra. It is distinguished from the other species (bullata and ameero) with grayish or bluish green leaves.