Commiphora pedunculata

Family: Burseraceae

What it is like

A shrub or tree. It can grow 6.5 m tall. It has a stout trunk 1 m around. The bark is papery. Young branches are hairy. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. There are 2-5 pairs of leaflets. The leaf stalk is 3 cm long. The leaflet blades are 8.5 cm long by 3.5 cm wide. There are teeth along the edge. The flowers are in groups up to 5 cm long in the axils of leaves. The fruit is small and black. It is about 1.4 cm across.

There are about 165 Commiphora species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the Savannah in West Africa. It can tolerate frost. It grows between 125-600 m above sea level. It grows in areas with a rainfall under 800 mm per year. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Kountanke, Luban, Sabnughagha

Synonyms

Balsamea pedunculata Engl.; Balsamodendrum pedunculatum Kotschy & Peyr.; Commiphora ledermannii Engl.; Commiphora mollissima Engl.; Commiphora rosifolia Engl.;