''Commiphora saxicola'', also known as rock corkwood, is a shrub species in the genus ''

Commiphora ''Commiphora'' is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of A ...

'' endemic to, and protected in,

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. It grows on rock slopes and in gravel plains in an area reaching from the

Kunene River The Cunene (Portuguese spelling) or Kunene (common Namibian spelling) is a river in Southern Africa. It flows from the Angola highlands southwards to the border with Namibia. It then flows in a westerly direction along the border until it reaches ...

south to Helmeringhausen. The rock corkwood is known in local languages as , , and . The resin of the shrub smells sweet and is used as a thirst suppressant by the Topnaar people. The fruit is edible.

References

Fruits originating in Africa Endemic flora of Namibia saxicola Taxa named by Adolf Engler {{Sapindales-stub