Few holidays, Christian or other, have more symbols involving plant life than Christmas.

The three wise men, as recorded in Matthew 2:11, presented gifts to the baby Jesus of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This story was set to music in 1857 by John H. Hopkins in “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”

Did you ever wonder exactly what a gift of myrrh and frankincense would look like? And, is it something you might give to Aunt Maude, that teenager, or your spouse?

Myrrh is a small, spiny shrub or tree of knotted branches and native to Yemen, Somalia, eastern Ethiopia, Jordan, and India (the Indian plant is considered inferior.) A member of the “Burseracae” plant family, the brown-red clumps of resin are naturally found in the cracks of the tree. High quality myrrh resin is dark and clear.

Frankincense “Boswellia carteri” was also considered more valuable than gold. It typically grows in the same regions and has biblical references. As with all herbals, it was a valuable commodity on the ancient trading circuits. It was a known fragrance for mourning the dead.

For more of Diane Gibson's column, see the Dec. 17 Galva News.