Jason Eslamieh

10/01/2012

Commiphora kraeuseliana

Description:

Commiphora kraeuseliana Heine, Hermann Heino

Dioecious shrub 1-2 m tall with many relatively thin and slender stems sprouting from ground

level; bark greyish brown or yellowish, peeling at the base of the stems in brownish papery

pieces; young branchlets glabrous, scarred, relatively short and stout. Leaves pinnate, 6-8-jugate,

glabrous, green; petiole 5-25 mm long; leaflets linear, (10-)15(-25) x 0.5-1 mm, sessile, margins

entire. Inflorescence: thyrsoid, up to 60 mm long, villous, with large bracts up to 7 x 1 mm.

Flowers unisexual, perigynous. Pedicel 4-8 mm long, pedicel, calyx and corolla villous or

sparsely villous. Disc 8-lobed, adnate to hypanthium. Stamens 8. Fruit subglobose, ± 20x20x18

mm, glabrous; putamen smooth; pseudoaril absent.

Habitat and distribution:

Occurs in the north-western part of S.W.A./Namibia. It has only been collected in the vicinity of

the Brandberg and further north in Kaokoland. Map 31.

Habitat photos courtesy of T. Harvey (left) and Marthinus Steyn (Right)

Cultivation:

Care and management:

Soil: Well-draining soil with 1/8 organic material such as well-balanced potting

mulch, 1/2 #2 perlite and 1/3+ coarse sand or ¼-inch rocks, whichever is

available.

Watering: Water thoroughly and often during the active months and hold back to

once a week during the inactive period. Allow the soil to completely dry out

before watering again. This species is a true succulent and should be treated as

such to prevent rotting.

Feeding: One month prior to the spring, feeding with a fertilizer containing low

nitrogen but a high percentage of phosphate and potash (6-20-20 NPK) is

recommended. After the seeds are harvested, or by mid-summer, feed the plants

with a fertilizer of equal NPK percentage (recommended: 10-10-10). Do not feed

during the resting period. Due to lack of organic material in the mix, feed with

every other watering.

Lighting: Full sun in humid zones, partial shade in dry zones like the Sonoran

desert.

Pollination:

By the second or third day after the male flowers have opened, collect the pollen

using a # 1 organic paint brush. Carry the pollen to the female flower on a

separate plant and gently paint the pollen on the stigma until most of the pollen

has been transferred. Repeat this practice in the morning for a few days to ensure

a successful pollination. Ants and small insects will pollinate the flowers

sporadically but the surest way in cultivation is hand pollinating.

Male inflorescence Female inflorescence

Harvesting: The seeds will be ready for harvesting between 50-70 days from the

time of a successful pollination. First, the fruit will turn bright red and then begin

to dry out into a dark red/brown color. At this time you may remove the semi-

dried pericarp and leave the seed on the branch. Do not force or cut the petiole

prematurely. A fully ripened seed can easily be removed from the branch.

Green fruit Ripened fruit

Fruit Seed has no pseudoaril

Propagation:

Seeds: Allow at least two weeks to a full month from the harvest time for the

seeds to dry out. Then soak the seeds for a full day prior to sowing. If you have

not removed the pericarp, you must do that after the soaking. Sow seeds in a well-

draining potting mix and make sure the seeds are covered with ½ -1 inch coarse

sand. Do not allow the soil mix to dry out until the seeds have germinated. The

best condition for the seeds to germinate is a temperature between 75F-100F with

30-50% humidity. Off-season sowing requires bottom heat and other means of

meeting a favorable environment.

Two months old seedlings Rooted cutting

Cuttings: Unlike most commiphora, this species is best propagated after the plant

leafs out in the spring. Wait until the summer humidity rises or the monsoon

season starts, depending on the zone, and then cut below a node; apply root gel

while the cut is fresh. Plant in a mixture of 1/3 pumice, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 crushed

forest peat-moss. Top the soil with a quarter inch of rock pebbles to hold the

cutting firm in place. Do not water for one full day and then water slightly,

enough to get the soil moist. Wait 2-3 days which is the usual healing period and

then water thoroughly. The cutting will soon callus over and start to root.

Commiphora kraeuseliana twigs are mostly succulent and easily rot if the cuttings

are over watered or kept continuously wet. Make sure the potting mix dries out

between watering but keep the ambient humidity high.

Staging and exhibition:

Considering that Staging is a form of art and a personal expression, the following information is

intended to assist the exhibitor with a better understanding of the culture of this unique species,

so proper containers, potting mix and top dressing are selected for successful growing and

exhibition.

Commiphora kraeuseliana in cultivation can thrive in a small container with a reasonably

shallow depth. This species can easily be planted in traditional Bonsai containers and thrive as

long as the collector understands the liability of Bonsai care and management. I use medium size

pots with highly porous potting medium and heavy top dressing to prevent drying of the roots.