TreeCultivatedPerennialMedicinal

Celtis australis L.

Karr

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Description

Celtis australis is a medium to large deciduous tree, usually 10–25 m tall, with a broad, rounded crown and smooth grey bark that becomes slightly fissured with age. Leaves are simple, alternate, ovate to lanceolate, rough above, softly hairy beneath, with serrated margins and three prominent veins arising from the base. Flowers are small, greenish, inconspicuous, and appear singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils. Fruits are small, globose drupes, green when young and turning yellow, orange, or dark purple to black when ripe, enclosing a single hard seed.

Diagnostic Characters

Vegetative

Deciduous tree with rough, three-veined leaves and a broad rounded crown.

Floral

Small greenish axillary flowers appearing with the young leaves.

Fruit & Seed

Small dark purple to black drupes containing a single hard seed.

Distribution

Native range: Southern Europe, North Africa, western Asia, and the Himalayan region.

In Pakistan: Common in northern Pakistan, and the Himalayan foothills. It is also cultivated as a shade tree.

Phenology

Flowering

Fruiting

Flowering: March–April Fruiting: August–October

Ethnobotany & Uses

Food Uses

The sweet ripe fruits are edible and consumed fresh.

Medicinal Uses

Fruits, bark, and leaves are traditionally used for treating digestive disorders, inflammation, and respiratory ailments.

Timber Uses

Wood is hard, durable, and valued for making furniture, tool handles, walking sticks, agricultural implements, and sporting goods.

Ornamental Uses

Widely planted as a shade and avenue tree because of its attractive crown and tolerance to urban conditions.

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Where it grows on campus

South Campus1

individuals mapped across 1 zone

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Taxonomic Notes

Celtis australis, commonly known as European Hackberry or Nettle Tree, is distinguished by its rough three-veined leaves, smooth grey bark, and edible dark-colored drupes. It is an important multipurpose tree in the Himalayan region and is accepted by Flora of Pakistan, Plants of the World Online (POWO), and World Flora Online (WFO).