Commiphora glaucescens
Engl.
Sea-green commiphora, Blue-leaved corkwood
(c) Francois du Randt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Francois du Randt
(c) Sebastian Hatt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Roots
The fruit are eaten fresh. The seeds are reported to be edible and have a slightly fleshy layer. The stems are chewed for moisture. The roots are also noted as edible.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It is often in hills and mountain slopes on red sandy soil. They are usually in rocky places in arid or semi-desert areas. It cannot tolerate frost. It grows in areas with a rainfall between 100-500 mm per year. In southern Africa it grows between 550-1,500 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, Angola, Central Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa,
How to Identify
A bush or small tree. It can grow up to 6-10 m tall. The bark is pale brown to bluish. It peels off in round flakes. The young branches are greenish yellow and smooth. The leaves have only one leaflet. They are green with shades of blue. They are often covered with a waxy bloom. Leaves are 2.5-5 cm long and 1.3-3 cm wide. The leaf shape varies. The leaves are crowded at the ends of small branches. The leaves turn yellow and red before they fall. The flowers are small and yellowish-green. The fruit are round a and about 1.3 cm long. The seeds have a slightly fleshy layer around them. They are reported to be edible.
How to Grow
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.
Medicinal Uses
The stems are traditionally chewed for moisture.
Other Uses
The wood is made into household utensils.
Notes
There are about 165 Commiphora species.
Names & Synonyms
Bloublaarkanniedood, Blue-leaved commiphora, Omukuku, Ozondowa, Tsaura
References (10)
- Mannheimer, C. A. & Curtis. B.A. (eds), 2009, Le Roux and Muller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia. Windhoek: Macmillan Education Namibia. p 212
- Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 362
- Palmer, E and Pitman, N., 1972, Trees of Southern Africa. Vol. 2. A.A. Balkema, Cape Town p 1039
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 73
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 4th April 2011]
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 40
- Sullivan, S., 1998, People plants and practice in drylands: Socio-political and ecological dimensions of resource-use by Damara farmers in north-west Namibia. Ph.D. Univ. College London. p 21
- van Wyk, B, van Wyk, P, and van Wyk B., 2000, Photographic guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Briza. p 95
- Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
