Originally I was part of the coastal shelf of Africa I broke free of my fathers bondage in the Tertiary period that was name for the major portion of the Cenozoic era, I don't remember the exact year I know it was between 15 to 66 million years ago when I my three brothers and my sister the Gulf of Aden came to life.
I have been known by many names the Egyptians called me WA-W-AT or "TA-NET-JER" meaning "god's land". I was once called the land of Queen Sheba or Pa’-anch; I was called by the Greeks Dioskouridou in the 1st century AD and I have been called land of Jinn in ancient Arabic stories.
You may know me as the land of Punt from the Bible, Koran or Torah in 5600 B.C.E. I was commercial center for goods not only within my own borders, but I controlled the entire commerce of Africa with my trade in fish, figs, medicine, dye, frankincense, and myrrh.
I ‘am the prehistoric island of Socotra and I face the Gulf of Aden which runs into the mouth of the Red Sea; I’ am the largest landmass in the Indian Ocean along with my smaller brothers we are four archipelago islands. I ‘am closer to the eastern tip of the Horn of Africa than to Southern Arabia and I was place from the Egyptian tale of shipwrecked sailor (2200 B.C.E.) lost in WA-W-AT.
I’ am island of legends told by the Greeks who sought the dragon's blood its red sap was bought and sold as a medicine and a dye by seafarers. I no longer control the world as once did; I’ am old and feeble but my children, grandchildren and great grand children, they are Socotran B. elongata, B. socotrana, B. ameero, they strong well known and in great demand.
My famous son was found in the Haggier Mountains by small slight man his name was Isaac Bayley Balfour, I’ am old and sometimes it’s hard for me to remember I think he was Professor of Botany at University of Glasgow on an expedition 1880.
My son is the father and is responsible for the production of the first winter flowering begonia hybrids; my son flowers during the monsoon winter rains and his offspring is winter flowering hybrid Begonia x Hiemalis and Begonia x Cheimantha but the truth of the matter their not as handsome or genetically sound as my boy Begonia Soctrana.
