Commiphora pteleifolia Engl.

Slender straggling or sometimes subscandent glabrous shrub or small tree, 3–6 or rarely 9 m. tall; bark smooth, dark green or grey, the outer layer papery; longer twigs rarely spine-tipped but short lateral spines 10–20 mm. long are always present and sometimes numerous; exudate scanty, slightly resin-scented.. Leaves in the Flora area always 3-foliolate; petiole always well-developed, ± 2/3 or 3/4 as long as the terminal leaflet, which is elliptic-lanceolate, pointed and very slightly attenuate at the base, acute and broadly acuminate at the apex, 25–90(–135) mm. long and 20–40(–70) mm. wide; lateral leaflets 1/3 to 2/3 the size of the terminal; leaflet margins minutely crenate serrate.. Male flowers reddish, 4–5 together in short clusters, the pedicels 2–3 mm. long; calyx cylindric-campanulate, 4 mm. long including ovate 1.2 mm. lobes; petals ± 5 mm.; filaments 4 and 2 mm., anthers 1.1 and 0.5 mm. long.. Female flowers 2 or 3 together, ± 5 mm. long.. Fruit stalk 2–3 mm.; drupe varying greatly in size from 11–18 mm. long, always beaked, on average 15 mm. (including a 5 mm. beak) × 11 × (2 + 6) mm.; pericarp 2-valved but each valve with an incomplete dividing line as though about to split; pseudaril with 4 linear arms and no basal cup, the facial arms 2/3–4/5 as long as the stone, sutural arms rather longer; stone smooth, black, with well-marked germination shield and apical pits, ± 9 × 7 × (1.5 + 5) mm.. Fig. 6/9–12, p.34.