Commiphora marlothii
Engl.
Paper-bark tree, Paperbark corkwood
(c) Lukas Lindenthal, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Lukas Lindenthal
(c) Richard Gill, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) gillbsydney, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by gillbsydney
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Root
The fruit is eaten fresh or processed into jelly or jam. The root is peeled and chewed for its sweet juice.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It is normally always associated with rocky or stony hill slopes. In Zimbabwe it grows between 500-1,550 m above sea level.
Africa, Botswana, East Africa, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A small to medium sized tree. It grows to 13 m tall. It often has a thick trunk. The bark is green and peeling. It peels in yellow, papery sheets. The leaves have 3-4 pairs of opposite leaflets then an end leaflet. The leaflets are oblong and 3-7.5 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They are pale green. They are soft. The edges of the leaflets are scalloped. The flowers are small and yellow. They are in the axils of leaves. They are in compact heads 1.8 cm across. The fruit are oval and green or brownish-red. They have a small sharp tip. The stone has a 4 loved aril or seed layer. This is yellow or red.
How to Grow
It can be grown from seeds or by large cuttings. It is usually best grown from seeds.
Notes
There are about 165 Commiphora species.
Names & Synonyms
Ikwazakwaza, Mubobo, Mudyaroro, Mufunka, Mufunuka, Mukuhunum, Mupepe, Mupumbua, Mutedza, Mutvedzambira, Muwirowiro, Nyanzoni, Paperbark commiphora, Papierbaskanniedood, Umkwazakwaza, Umqoqodo, Tebotebo
References (13)
- Drummond, R. B., 1981, Common Trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe, National Herbarium Salisbury. p 102
- Exell, A.W. et al, (Ed), 1963, Flora Zambesiaca Vol 2 Part 1 Crown Agents, London. p 275
- Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A., and Seberg, O. 2007, Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. p 74
- Magwede, K., van Wyk, B.-E., & van Wyk, A. E., 2019, An inventory of Vhavenḓa useful plants. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 57–89
- Palgrave, K.C., 1996, Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers. p 364
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 73
- Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 40
- Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., & McCleland, W., 2007, Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana Media p 246
- Tredgold, M.H., 1986, Food Plants of Zimbabwe. Mambo Press. p 97
- van Wyk, B, van Wyk, P, and van Wyk B., 2000, Photographic guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Briza. p 97
- 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
- Wild, 1975,
- www.zimbabweflora.co.zw 2011
