Nettle tree, African false elm
Celtis integrifolia

Family: Cannabaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows to 25 m high. The trunk is 1.5 m across. It can have short buttresses. The branches occur low down. The bark is grey and smooth. The leaves are alternate and oblique but oval. They taper to the tip. The twigs are green with white hairs. The flowers are in clusters in the axils of leaves on one year old shoots. The fruit are oval. They are 1 cm long. They have one seed. The seed is white.

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

A tropical plant. It grows in the Sahel in West Africa. It needs are rainfall of 500-700 mm per year. It is often in depressions and near waterholes. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arabia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Middle East, Nigeria, North America, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are used in soups. Sometimes they are used with boabab leaves. Young leaves can be eaten in salads. The fresh fruit are eaten.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Aboun gatou, Aling, Nguzo, Samparanga, Tabakoudou, Zuwo

Synonyms

Possibly now Celtis toka;