Description
Commiphora marlothii, the paperbark corkwood, is a small to medium sized, deciduous tree that may reach a height of 13 m. It grows on rocky hills and woodland in Limpopo Province, Zimbabwe and a few other neighbouring countries to the north of South Africa.
The large, brittle, papery pieces of aromatic bark that peel off the fresh green stems provide the most conspicuous feature of this tree. The young branches are hairy. The leaves are compound with three to five pairs of leaflets, whilst a terminal leaflet is present. Leaflets are obovate with scalloped margins, velvety surfaces, especially the lower one and it is yellowish green in colour. The small yellow flowers appear in spring in axillary cymes when the new leaves do. The ripe fruit is brownish red, ellipsoid and has a lobed stone. When it splits open a yellow or red pseudo-aril is revealed (Coates Palgrave, 2002 and (www.zimbabweflora.co.zw).
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