Celtis is a
genus of about 60–70 species of
deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, widespread in warm
temperate regions of the
Northern Hemisphere. The genus is part of the extended Cannabis family (
Cannabaceae).
Description
Celtis species are generally medium-sized
trees, reaching 10–25 metres (33–82 feet) tall, rarely up to 40 m (130 ft) tall. The
leaves are alternate, simple, 3–15 centimetres (1+1⁄4–6 inches) long,
ovate-
acuminate, and evenly
serrated margins. Diagnostically, Celtis can be very similar to trees in the
Rosaceae and other rose motif families.[citation needed]
Small flowers of this
monoecious plant appear in early spring while the leaves are still developing. Male flowers are longer and
fuzzy. Female flowers are greenish and more rounded.[citation needed]
The fruit is a small
drupe 6–10 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) in diameter, edible in many species, with a dryish but sweet, sugary consistency, reminiscent of a
date.[citation needed]
Several species are grown as
ornamental trees, valued for their
drought tolerance. They are a regular feature of
arboreta and
botanical gardens, particularly in North America. Chinese hackberry (C. sinensis) is suited for
bonsai culture; a magnificent specimen in Daegu-myeon is one of the
natural monuments of South Korea. The berries are generally edible when they ripen and fall.[14]C. occidentalis fruit was used by the
Omaha, eaten casually, as well as the
Dakota people, who pounded them fine, seeds and all. The
Pawnee used the pounded fruits in combination with fat and parched corn.[15]
Hackberry wood is sometimes used in cabinetry and woodworking. The berries of some, such as C. douglasii, are edible, and were consumed by the
Mescalero Apaches.[16]
Gallery
C. aetnensis with mature fruit
Caucasian hackberry (C.caucasica) with immature fruit
^MacPhail, M. K., N. F. Alley, E. M. Truswell and I. R. K. Sluiter (1994). "Early Tertiary vegetation: evidence from spores and pollen." History of the Australian Vegetation: Cretaceous to Recent. Ed. Robert S. Hill. Cambridge University Press. pp. 189–261.
ISBN0521401976.
Partially available on Google Books.
^Manchester, S. R., Akhmetiev, M. A., & Kodrul, T. M. (2002). Leaves and fruits of Celtis aspera (Newberry) comb. nov. (Celtidaceae) from the Paleocene of North America and eastern Asia. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 163(5), 725-736.
^Celtis L.Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 11 December 2022.
^"GRIN Species Records of Celtis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from
the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
^Brower, Andrew V.Z. (2006). Problems with DNA barcodes for species delimitation: ‘ten species’ of Astraptes fulgerator reassessed (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity4(2): 127–132.
doi:
10.1017/S147720000500191XPDF fulltext