Commiphora mollis

Commiphora mollis (Oliv.) Engl.

Common names

Velvet-leaved corkwood (English); chikolola, mpunga-ziwandachiyawa, chifundaziche, chitonto, chilolo, kobo, mchovwe, mwesandilo, nkomotwa, sindo (Nyanja); chawowa, muwesandilo (Tumbuka).

General description and distinguishing characteristics

A small tree up to 8 m tall. Bark smooth, dark green to grey; branchlets densely hairy, sometimes spiny. Leaves compound, imparipinnate with 2-6 pairs of leaflets plus one terminal leaflet. Leaflets up to 6 x 3 cm, elliptic to oblong-elliptic with an entire, untoothed margin. Hairy on both leaflet surfaces, often markedly paler below. Petiole up to 5 cm long. Flowers appearing before or with the young leaves in axillary clusters up to 2 cm long. Individual flowers yellowish to pinkish, small and inconspicuous, petals 5 mm long (October-November). Fruit ovoid, almost spherical, 10 mm in diameter, densely hairy, green to brownish red, with a 4-lobed red pseudaril (November-July).

Range and habitat

Commiphora mollis is found in hot, dry woodland throughout sub-tropical Africa. In the Luangwa valley it is associated with mopane scrub woodland and river levees. It is not common.