Hard celtis tree
Celtis philippensis

Family: Cannabaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows 4-10 m tall. It often has buttresses. It has a dense rounded crown. The tree can lose many of its leaves during the dry season of the year. The bark is smooth with a mottled cream grey pattern on it. The leaves are alternate and smooth. They are stiff and brittle. They are oval and about 3-12 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. The leaves are dark green above and paler underneath. There are 3 easy to see veins along the leaf. These are raised and white, underneath the leaf. The leaves have a pointed tip and short stalk (1 cm). The young leaves have teeth along the edge. The flowers are small and white and 2-3 mm across. They occur in small clusters (2 cm across) in the axils of leaves. Flowers of one or both sexes can occur on the same plant. The fruit are smooth and fleshy. They are round but flattened. They can be 0.7-1 cm across. They are yellow, but bright red when ripe. They contain a single hard shelled seed. The seed can be 6 mm across.

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 plant. It grows in coastal monsoon forests. It can be on sand dunes and is often near permanent water. It grows up to 1,200 m above sea level. It needs well drained soil. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, China, East Africa, East Timor, Ethiopia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, West Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw when ripe. The seed oil is edible.

It is not known if it is used as food in Papua New Guinea.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds - oil, seed

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from fresh seed.

In northern Australia plants flower from October to January and fruit mainly from April to August.

Its other names

Local names

Bang, Bege, Bwege, Gulyindji, Itako, Kolohonfe, Odu amuk, Ohia, Shoboch, Vellaithuvari

Synonyms

Celtis brownii Rendle; Celtis philippensis var. wightii (Planch.) Soepadmo; Celtis prantli; Celtis wightii Planch.; and others