Celtis tetrandra

Family: Cannabaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree that loses its leaves during the year. It grows 15 m high. It has a short thick trunk. The crown is spreading. The bark is bluish-grey. It is smooth and speckled with raised white dots. Old trees develop horizontal wrinkles. Young leaves are pale green. They become dark green later and turn yellow before falling. The leaves are 8-12 cm long on short stalks. There are teeth along a part of the leaf edge. They are pointy at the tip and have 3 veins at the base. The flowers are small and green. Flowers can be male, female or of both sexes. They are in the axils of the leaves at the end of longer stalks. Male and bisexual flowers are at the base of short stalks below the leaves. The fruit are small and berry-like. They are green and turn orange-red. They are the size of a peppercorn and eventually turn black.

There are 70-100 Celtis species. They are mostly in the tropics. There are 8-10 species in tropical America. Also put in the family Ulmaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical and subtropical plant. In NW India it grows up to 1,200 m above sea level. It grows in Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Middle East, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pakistan, SE Asia, Sikkim, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

In NW India fruit are available February to October.

Its other names

Local names

Ada, Adona, Aduva, Batkar, Haktapatia, Jabjabal, Khalk, Kharak, Kharik, Khirk, Kona, Ku, Long-shing, Marukka, Nrumaj, Thit-pok

Synonyms

Celtis roxburghii Planch.; and several others