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Commiphora africana

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Author:  Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler, 1883
Family:  BURSERACEAE
Origin:  Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Caprivi Strip, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
Soil:  Mix
Water:  Minimum - Medium
Sun:  Medium - Maximum
Thickness:  15-30 Centimetres
Height:  2-6,5 Meters
Flower:  Brownish Red
Propagate:  Seeds/Cuttings
Names:  African Bdellium; African Myrrh.
Synonyms:  Heudelotia africana A. Rich. 1831.
Chrysoglossum chapaense
(Gagnep.) T. Tang & F.T. Wang, 1951.
Commiphora pilosa
Engl.
Commiphora africana
var. glaucidula, J.B.Gillett
Commiphora africana
var. oblongifoliolata, J.B.Gillett.
Commiphora africana
var. venosa, Govaerts.

This small member of the Burseraceae family was given this name by Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler in 1883. It is found in most of central and southern Africa, growing in a well drained soil with little to some water and some to lots of sun. The stem can grow up to fifteen or even 30 centimetres in diameter and reach a height of two to six and a half meters. The flowers are brownish red.

The genera name from Greek kommi; 'gum' and Greek -phoros; 'carrying' for the balsam-like scented resin. The species name means 'from Africa'.