Boswellia nana is a rare endemic plant from the, Soqotra island, Yemen. It is only known from two locations (Hamaderoh, south-facing slope above the plateau and Majhah escarpment on limestone rock-face) with a total area of occupancy of less than 20 km².
300–550 metres above sea level.
Boswellia nana grows in perfect camouflage in crevices on limestone cliffs and limestone pavement often covered by a thick coating of lichens, in dry, semi-deciduous woodland in the Northeast of the island
Boswellia nana is a prostrate or pendent dwarf tree, perhaps the most ornamental of the frankincense genus, with a very unusual, compact, bonsai-like habit, growing up to about 60 cm above the ground level or hanging 60-100 cm down the cliff-face.
Short and compact with a bottle-shaped base (caudiciform). In cultivation, especially when grown in the ground, the plant can reach 1 or more metres in height with a thick base hardly resembling the plant in its natural habitat.
Typically unifoliolate (one-leafed), with a very small pair of caducous pinnae at the base of the lamina, glossy green above with glabrous undersurface.