Commiphora kua

What to Eat

Edible parts: Medicine, Caution, Stems, Roots - moisture

The roots are chewed when thirsty to obtain moisture.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows between 40-1,300 m above sea level.

Africa, Burundi, Congo DR, Djibouti, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Socotra, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia,

How to Identify

A spiny shrub or small tree. It grows 3-4 m tall. The outer bark peels off in strips. There is a gum resin. The long shoots have spine-tips that taper and are stout. The leaves are simple and on short shoots. They can have 3 different leaflets. These are 10-35 mm long by 5-25 mm wide. They have 5-9 sharp teeth on each side. The flowers are in clusters of 4-6 for male flowers and 1 or 2 for female flowers. The flowers are greenish-yellow. The fruit are 6 mm long by 4.5 mm wide.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown by seed or cuttings.

Medicinal Uses

The stems and roots are used medicinally.

Other Uses

A gum-resin is obtained from wounds in the stems. It contains a green essential oil that is used in perfumes of the Oriental type, blending well with vetiver, geranium and sandal.

Commiphora kua, sometimes known as Abyssinian myrrh or the Yemen myrrh, is a plant native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, Oman and Yemen. It was first described as Balsamodendrum kua in 1847, and has many botanical synonyms. It can be recognised by its simple, serrate leaves and by the pseudo aril, covering the seed, which has four almost linear arm-like lobes.

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