Commiphora madagascariensis

This slender sometimes scandent shrub or tree (1–15 m) is found in thickets and semi-evergreen dry forest at elevations of 0–660 m.

The bark smooth, dark brown, grey-brown or green-brown; branches often spiny, hairless. Leaves are 1-foliolate or 3-foliolate with 2 much smaller lateral leaflets; leaf-stalk very short, about 1 mm long, or considerably longer, up to 1–5 cm; leaflet-blade up to 4 x 1–5 cm, elliptic or narrowly ovate-spoon-shaped, tip pointed or blunt, margins finely rounded saw-toothed, base wedge-shaped, hairless on both sides. Flowers appear before the leaves or with the young leaves in nearly stalkless clusters on short side-shoots or spines. Sepal-cup is about 2 mm long, tubular, lobed to 1/3 to 1/2-way, and hairless. Petals are about 4 mm long. Disk-lobes are 4. Stamen-filaments slender, nearly round. Fruit is about 1-2 x 0–6 cm, ellipsoid, somewhat flattened, hairless, tip somewhat apiculate.