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

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. 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 south to the border with Namibia. It then flows west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It ...

south to

Helmeringhausen Helmeringhausen is a settlement in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia in the Berseba Constituency. It is located 200 km northeast of Lüderitz and 500 km south of Windhoek on the crossing of the national roads C14 (Goageb - Walvis B ...

. The rock corkwood is known in local languages as af, rotskanniedood, german: Felsenmyrrhe, Felsenbalsambaum, and hz, Omumdomba. The resin of the shrub smells sweet and is used as a thirst suppressant by the

Topnaar people The Topnaar people (ǂAonin) are a clan of the Nama people in Namibia. Their settlements are all situated on the Kuiseb River in the Erongo Region of central Namibia, the largest one is Utuseb. History Topnaars began settling in the area of Walv ...

. The fruit is edible.

References

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