Commiphora mukul syn Commiphora wightii Photo: Sudhir Ahluwalia
Myrrh is the aromatic gum or resin that exudes from the stems and branches of more than 150 species in the Commiphora genus of the Burseraceae family (e.g., Commiphora myrrha, Commiphora molmol, Commiphora gileadensis). These species, which are rare today, are distributed across Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, and Somalia.
Commiphora myrrha, which is regarded as the most popular source of myrrh, grew abundantly in this region. Like other desert species around the world, the plants are leafless for much of the year.
Africa has around 50 species of Commiphora (e.g., Commiphora abyssinica, Commiphora foliacea, Commiphora playfairii) that yield an oleoresin, which is often mixed with the other species mentioned previously. Other species, such as Commiphora wightii and Commiphora africana, were sources of low-quality oleoresin products called bdellium and Indian myrrh. Both myrrh and bdellium belong to the same class of resins.
Comminphora gileadensis, also known as C. opobalsamum, was cultivated in the oases of the Dead Sea and surrounding regions of Israel, and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The above description should give you a picture of the type of habitats and regions where myrrh species trees occur in nature. If you have a comparative climate or can create artificial conditions that replicate those found in the natural habitats of myrrh plants, these can be grown.
To know more about myrrh and its various uses, you can take a look at the relevant section here.