Commiphora caerulea Burtt

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Nr rd to Navigation Control, Kariba

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Blue-bark commiphora (English) Blue-bark corkwood (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Deciduous tree. Bark smooth, distinctly pale bluish, peeling in papery translucent straw-coloured strips; young branches greyish, velvety, not spine-tipped. Leaves clustered, imparipinnate with 2-4 pairs of leaflets, more rarely 3-foliolate, both types together on the same tree; leaflets oblong-elliptic, up to 8 × 4.5 cm, greyish velvety below, hairless or with a few scattered hairs on the veins and midrib above; margin scalloped or finely toothed. Flowers small, greenish-yellow, solitary or in few-flowered clusters on the spur-branchlets, appearing with the very young leaves. Calyx and stalks densely covered in greyish hairs. Fruit subspherical, c. 1.5 cm in diameter, somewhat flattened, hairless. Pseudaril covering about 3/4 of the seed.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	caerulea: term used for various shades of blue, e.g. sky-blue or dark blue
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Nov - Dec
Worldwide distribution:	Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe
Malawi distribution:	N,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 368. (Includes a picture). Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 249. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 31. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 42. Wild, H. (1963). Burseraceae Flora Zambesiaca 2(1) Pages 281 - 282. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Commiphora caerulea:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Commiphora caerulea
Flora of Mozambique: Commiphora caerulea
Flora of Zambia: Commiphora caerulea
Flora of Zimbabwe: Commiphora caerulea
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Commiphora caerulea

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Commiphora caerulea
African Plant Database: Commiphora caerulea
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Commiphora caerulea
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Commiphora caerulea
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Commiphora caerulea
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Commiphora caerulea
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Commiphora caerulea
JSTOR Plant Science: Commiphora caerulea
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Commiphora caerulea
Plants of the World Online: Commiphora caerulea
Tropicos: Commiphora caerulea
Wikipedia: Commiphora caerulea