Calendula

The gnarled and with pointed thorns provided myrrh belongs to the balsam family and grows in shrub or tree form. It grows only a few meters high and is well adapted to the dry scrubland of its homeland: Its leaves are very small and appear just before the beginning of the rainy season, together with the pendulous flower panicles. The smooth and thin bark is cracked and flakes off in small shreds.

The orange trees grow up to 10 meters high with a short trunk and compact crown. They produce flowers and fruits at the same time - the combination of the dark green foliage, the small white flowers, which are fragrant for a long way, and the bright orange fruits is particularly attractive. The green fruits turn vivid orange only when night temperatures drop below 17 °C.

There are 100 to 250 species of wild roses in the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, and many of them have once again produced countless varieties through breeding. All rose species produce rose hips - but only if bees and other insects were able to find the center of the blossom beforehand and their path was not blocked, as is the case with cultivars with densely filled blossoms.