|
Identification of native
Celtis and Trema species in southern Africa
Information mainly from Palgrave & Palgrave (2002).
|
Character |
Celtis africana |
Celtis gomphophylla |
Celtis mildbraedii |
Trema orientalis |
|
Leaf length (cm) |
1.5 - 10 |
8 - 19 |
5 - 17 |
4 - 20 |
|
Leaf width (cm) |
1 - 5 |
2.5 - 9 |
2 - 7 |
2.5 - 5 |
|
Leaf apex |
elongate pointed but no distinct drip tip |
elongate drip tip |
not elongate pointed; no drip tip |
elongate but no concave margins forming drip tip |
|
Leaf base |
asymmetric |
not noticeably asymmetric |
not asymmetric |
asymmetric |
|
Leaf margin |
finely and regularly toothed along upper half |
usually smooth |
smooth basally; with course, rounded and irregular teeth terminally |
finely toothed along entire margin |
|
Leaf veins |
3-veined from base, the lateral veins extending to
near the apex of the leaf |
not conspicuously 3-veined from base - lateral veins from base fade out
just over half way up leaf |
3-veins at base not noticeable as the lateral
veins end less than a third of the way up the leaf |
3-veined from base |
|
Leaf surface |
sparsely to densely hairy |
minutely and stiffly hairy giving leaf a rough texture |
smooth? |
rough, hairy |
|
Leaf colour |
young leaves pale green, mature leaves dark green |
dark green |
shiny green |
glossy bright green above, dull paler green below |
|
Bark |
pale grey, smooth |
grey, smooth, trunk often fluted |
light brown, fairly smooth with whitish lenticels (also on branches),
trunk buttressed in large specimens |
pale grey, smooth |
|
Flowers |
small, greenish sexes separate but on same tree |
small, greenish sexes separate but on same tree |
small, greenish sexes separate but on same tree or bisexual |
small, greenish sexes separate but on same tree |
|
Fruit |
ovoid, about 6 mm in diameter, yellow or brownish |
top-shaped, about 10 x 6 mm, yellow |
urn-shaped, up to 12 mm long, red, fleshy, shrivelled remains of stigmas
at tip. |
round, 4-6 mm in diameter, become dark purple and finally black |
Distribution
|
Character |
Celtis africana |
Celtis gomphophylla |
Celtis mildbraedii |
Trema orientalis |
|
Distribution |
Widespread in South Africa and Zimbabwe except for semi-arid and arid
regions. Also found along south coast of Mozambique |
Coastal strip of KwaZulu-Natal, touching into southern Mozambique. Also
eastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique |
KwaZulu-Natal, near coast; also northern Mozambique and eastern
Zimbabwe. |
KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, southern and central Mozambique, Mpumalanga,
Limpopo, Northwest Province, Gauteng, Zimbabwe and NW Namibia |
|
Northern Cape |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Western Cape |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Eastern Cape |
Yes |
Yes (northeast) |
No |
Yes (northeast) |
|
KwaZulu-Natal |
Yes |
Yes (coastal strip) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Free State |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Mpumalanga |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Limpopo |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Northwest |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Gauteng |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Swaziland |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Lesotho |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
southern Mozambique |
Yes (south coast) |
Yes (patchy) |
Yes (northern) |
Yes (patchy) |
|
Zimbabwe |
Yes (patchy) |
Yes (eastern) |
Yes (eastern) |
Yes (patchy) |
|
Botswana |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Namibia |
No |
No |
No |
Yes (northwest) |
References
- Palgrave, K.C. and Palgrave, M.C. 2002. Trees of Southern Africa.
3rd Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
Text by Hamish Robertson |
