COMMIPHORA. THIS IS MY FAMILY
I am born of a vast and ancient tribe. My home is here, in the dry Namib, where stone and silence reign. My kin – like my roots – are spread wide across this land. Each branch of our lineage carries its own face, its own gift. My trunk gleams white, while my cousins wear red, or gray, or green. Some rise tall as guardians, others crouch low and round upon the sand. We have taken form in every corner of the desert, adapting to its moods, sculpted by its severity.
My dwelling is here, high among the stones. I cherish my perch on this hill, in a plain, otherwise flat and spare, adorned with boulders round, like the moon.
Giant rocks lie strewn across the open land, as if hurled here in ancient days by a power beyond imagination. From afar these hills seem like relics left behind by titans. Who knows? These stones are my home. They hold me fast, give me shelter, and few creatures dare to climb so high. Here the air is lucid and pure, and my crown is lifted freely to the sky.
Life is sweetest on my rocky hill when night descends. The relentless burning of the sun yields to the tender caress of moonlight. From the depths of my stones, coolness and hidden moisture rise to me. For now, my leaves remain folded tight within their buds. Yet soon, as the days stretch longer and fiercer, I will unfurl them. My green promise will then rise, defiant against the hardship of this earth. And, my green flags shall stand: true bearers of hope.
Within some of us Commiphoras, a treasure ripens, a fragrant resin, rich with healing power. Humans come to us as pilgrims to their shrines, to draw forth our sap. Kings and queens have always treasured our myrrh, our balm of life. For thousands of years we have endured, bending, transforming, as the harsh spirit of this land has demanded. And the human tribes, watching us, have learned a truth they still honor: survival is born of diversity.
Home:
Khorixas, Namibia
Tree species:
Commiphora glandulosa
Tree family:
Burseraceae (Torchwood or Frankincense family)
Common Names:
Tall Firethorn Corkwood, Omukange (Otjiherero/Himba), Groot gewone Kanniedood (Afrikaans)
Motivation:
During a guided hike, we discovered a variety of shrubs and trees — large and small, in shades of red, white, and green. Whenever I asked which species we were looking at, I received the same answer: “Commiphora.” This family is rich in remarkable masters of transformation and survival — a silent lesson in the strength of diversity from nature itself.