''Celtis africana'', the white stinkwood, is a deciduous tree in the family
Cannabaceae
Cannabaceae is a small family of flowering plants, known as the hemp family. As now circumscribed, the family includes about 170 species grouped in about 11 genera, including '' Cannabis'' (hemp), '' Humulus'' (hops) and '' Celtis'' (hackberri ...
. Its habit ranges from a tall tree in forest to a medium-sized tree in
bushveld
The Bushveld (from Afrikaans: ''bosveld'', Afrikaans: ''bos'' 'bush' and ) is a Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. The ecoregion straddles the Tropic of Capricorn ...
and open country, and a shrub on rocky soil. It occurs in
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
and
Somaliland
Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...
and over large parts of Africa south of the Sahara.
It is a common tree in the south and east of southern Africa, where the odour given off by freshly-cut green timber is similar to that of ''
Ocotea bullata
''Ocotea bullata'', (stinkwood or black stinkwood, , , ) is a species of flowering tree native to South Africa. It produces very fine and valuable timber which was formerly much sought after to make furniture. Due to over-exploitation it is now ...
'' or black stinkwood.
Description
Habit
Growing as an individual tree in the open and under favourable conditions, ''Celtis africana'' becomes a tree of medium height, typically up to 12 m or so. It then usually forms a dense, hemispherical canopy. The bole of a mature tree then is thick and buttressed, often forked fairly near the ground. In forest it may grow up to 25 m tall, with a single, clean bole, though such large specimens usually are more or less buttressed too. In an exposed, rocky position it may be a
bonsai
Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...
-like small shrub. The trunk has a smooth, pale grey to white bark that may be loosely peeling in old trees and commonly has horizontal ridges.
Foliage
The tree is deciduous in the drier, frostier interior of its range in Africa, but semi-deciduous nearer the coast; in areas with wetter, milder winters it commonly retains its old leaves till after the spring leaf-flush appears. In spring it produces light green, tender, new leaves that contrast with the pale bark. The leaves are simple, alternate,
ovate to acuminate in shape with three distinct veins from the base. The leaf margin is slightly toothed (specifically
serrate) towards the
apex
The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to:
Arts and media Fictional entities
* Apex (comics)
A-Bomb
Abomination
Absorbing Man
Abraxas
Abyss
Abyss is the name of two characters appearing in Ameri ...
, whereas the
basal third tends to be
entire
Entire may refer to:
* Entire function, a function that is holomorphic on the whole complex plane
* Entire (animal), an indication that an animal is not neutered
* Entire (botany)
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions o ...
. The new leaves are bright, fresh green and hairy on the upper surface; they turn darker green and become smoother as they mature. (Leaf size: 15 to 100 mm length x 10 to 50 mm breadth).
Flowers and fruit
The trees' small flowers are pale yellow in colour, and appear from August to October. Their fruit are carried on long, thin stalks. They are yellow or brown in colour and about 4 mm in diameter.
Range and habitat
Occurs in a wide variety of habitats from wet forest and coastal bush to
bushveld
The Bushveld (from Afrikaans: ''bosveld'', Afrikaans: ''bos'' 'bush' and ) is a Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa. The ecoregion straddles the Tropic of Capricorn ...
, mountain gorges and open country, typically
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
. Its range extends from the
Western Cape
The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
, eastwards and northwards around the southern African coastline, extending inland in the warmer, wetter regions,
[van Wyk, Piet; van Wyk, Ben-Erik; van Wyk, Esterhuyse: "Photographic Guide to Trees of Southern Africa" Publisher: Briza ] and further north into Ethiopia.
Ecology
''Celtis africana'' leaves are browsed by cattle and goats, and also eaten from the ground when shed.
Various species of ''Celtis'' are food plants for the larvae of various species of long-nosed butterfly; the genus ''
Libythea
''Libythea'' is a widespread genus of Nymphalidae, nymphalid butterfly, butterflies commonly called beaks or snouts. They are strong fliers and may even be migratory.
Classification
* Source The higher classification of Nymphalidae, at Nympha ...
''. In particular, ''Celtis africana'' is the host to ''
Libythea labdaca''. The leaves also provide food for the larvae of ''
Caloptilia celtina''.
The inconspicuous, small, greenish, star-like flowers appear in early spring (August to October). Male and female flowers are separate, but they are produced on the same tree. Various insects pollinate them, particularly
honeybees
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the cur ...
.
From October to February, following flowering, the rounded, berry-like fruit (botanically speaking
drupe
In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...
s) appear. They are borne in large numbers on stalks about 1–2 cm long. As they ripen they change from green to yellow-brown or black. Though small, they typically are plentiful enough to be an important item of diet for many species of frugivorous birds that feed on the fruits and disperse the seeds in their manure. As a result, the seedlings not only may sprout far from the parent trees, but germinate unpredictably in all sorts of cracks in rocks or rotting wood as well as in fortunate locations in good soil. Their attraction for birds renders ''Celtis africana'' a popular tree in planning bird-friendly gardens.
Fruit and seeds are eaten by various animals, including
chacma baboon
The chacma baboon (''Papio ursinus''), also known as the Cape baboon, is, like all other baboons, from the Old World monkey family. It is one of the largest of all monkeys. Located primarily in southern Africa, the chacma baboon has a wide vari ...
,
vervet monkey
The vervet monkey (''Chlorocebus pygerythrus''), or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus '' Chlorocebus''. The five distin ...
,
tambourine dove,
Cape parrot,
Rameron pigeon,
Knysna lourie,
purple-crested lourie,
mousebirds,
black-collared barbet,
crested barbet,
Karoo thrush,
Cape robin-chat,
chorister robin-chat,
Cape bulbul,
black-eyed bulbul,
plum-coloured starling and
thick-billed weaver.
Cultivation
The species is easily propagated from seed, though for best results it is well to collect ripe fruit from the tree itself because seeds in dropped fruit commonly have been damaged by insects. It is best to separate the seed from the fruit tissue before planting, because the pulp inhibits
germination
Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...
until it has been removed by the digestive processes of birds. ''Celtis africana'' is a useful tree for planting along roadsides in urban areas of southern Africa.
Seedlings are best planted out in good soil several metres away from paving and walls, but once established, they will do well even in fairly challenging conditions.
There is some reluctance to plant the tree in small gardens because it grows quite large, and some care is necessary because heavy branches growing at an unfavourable angle may split off and fall dangerously. This can however be forestalled and prevented by competent pruning and other
arboricultural practices.
Similar species
Related nettle trees of the genus ''Celtis'' have been introduced to South Africa, and are readily confused with the white stinkwood. These species, which typically have the leaves less hairy, have been introduced as shade trees in gardens and parks, or invade river banks and other city spaces.
[ Some of them also hybridize, as all are wind pollinated. '' C. occidentalis'', of American origin, is distinguishable by the warts on it bark, besides the distinctly larger purple or black fruit of some 1 cm in diameter.][ '' C. australis'' is of Mediterranean origin. Its leaves have a rough upper side, and the fruit resemble those of ''C. occidentalis''. '' C. sinensis'' is of oriental origin and has dark, glossy leaves, that are only hairy on the underside. Its fruit are dark orange and about 6 mm in diameter. Its numerous fruit are carried on short and sturdy stalks.][
The pigeonwood ('' Trema orientalis'') was formerly classified as a ''Celtis'' species, and is likewise easily confused with the white stinkwood. The white stinkwood has nothing in common with the black stinkwood, a source of high-quality timber, which acquired its name from the strong smell of freshly felled trees.
File:Bodjos list plod.jpg,
File:Celtis australis, loof en vrugte, Manie van der Schijff BT.jpg,
File:Celtis sinensis, loof en vrugte, Queenswood, b.jpg,
]
References
Further reading
* Pooley, E. 1993. ''The Complete Field Guide to Trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei''. .
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5058579
Afromontane flora
Trees of Africa
Trees of South Africa
Trees of Mediterranean climate
africana
Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman