Celtis

Celtis is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is part of the extended Cannabis family (Cannabaceae).
Description
Celtis species are generally medium-sized trees, reaching tall, rarely up to tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, long, ovate-acuminate, and evenly serrated margins. Diagnostically, Celtis can be very similar to trees in the Rosaceae and other rose motif families.
Small flowers of this monoecious plant appear in early spring while the leaves are still developing. Male flowers are longer and fuzzy. Female flowers are greenish and more rounded.
The fruit is a small drupe in diameter, edible in many species, with a dryish but sweet, sugary consistency, reminiscent of a date.
Taxonomy
Previously included either in the elm family (Ulmaceae) or a separate family, Celtidaceae, the APG III system places Celtis in an expanded hemp family (Cannabaceae).
Phylogeny
Members of the genus are present in the fossil record at early as the Miocene of Europe, and Paleocene of North America and eastern Asia.
Species
66 species are currently accepted.
Celtis adolfi-friderici
Celtis africana – white stinkwood
Celtis australis – European hackberry, European nettle tree, or lote tree
Celtis balansae
Celtis berteroana
Celtis bifida
Celtis biondii
Celtis boninensis
Celtis brasiliensis
Celtis bungeana – Bunge's hackberry
Celtis caucasica – Caucasian hackberry
Celtis caudata
Celtis cerasifera
Celtis chekiangensis
Celtis chichape
Celtis conferta – cottonwood
Celtis conferta subsp. conferta – New Caledonia
Celtis conferta subsp. amblyphylla – Lord Howe Island
Celtis ehrenbergiana – spiny hackberry, granjeno (Spanish)
Celtis eriocarpa
Celtis glabrata (syn. Celtis planchoniana )
Celtis gomphophylla
Celtis harperi
Celtis hildebrandii
Celtis hypoleuca
Celtis iguanaea – iguana hackberry
Celtis jamaicensis
Celtis jessoensis – Japanese hackberry
Celtis julianae – Julian hackberry
Celtis koraiensis – Korean hackberry
Celtis labilis – Hubei hackberry
Celtis laevigata – southern or sugar hackberry , sugarberry
Celtis latifolia
Celtis lindheimeri – Lindheimer's hackberry
Celtis loxensis
Celtis luzonica
Celtis madagascariensis
Celtis mauritiana (syn. Celtis prantlii )
Celtis mildbraedii
Celtis neglecta
Celtis occidentalis – common or northern hackberry, false elm
Celtis orthocanthos
Celtis pacifica
Celtis pallida – desert or shiny hackberry
Celtis paniculata – whitewood
Celtis petenensis
Celtis philippensis
Celtis punctata
Celtis reticulata – netleaf hackberry
Celtis rigescens
Celtis rubrovenia
Celtis salomonensis
Celtis schippii
Celtis serratissima
Celtis sinensis – Chinese or Japanese hackberry, Chinese nettle tree
Celtis solenostigma
Celtis spinosa
Celtis strychnoides
Celtis tala – tala
Celtis tenuifolia – dwarf hackberry
Celtis tessmannii
Celtis tetrandra – Nilgiri elm
Celtis tikalana
Celtis timorensis – kayu busok
Celtis toka
Celtis tournefortii – Oriental hackberry
Celtis trinervia – almex
Celtis vandervoetiana
Celtis vitiensis
Celtis zenkeri
Removed from genus
Trema cannabina (as C. amboinensis )
Trema lamarckiana (as C. lamarckiana )
Trema orientalis (as C. guineensis or C. orientalis )
Trema tomentosa (as C. aspera or C. tomentosa )
Etymology
The generic name originated in Latin and was applied by Pliny the Elder to the unrelated Ziziphus lotus.
Distribution and habitat
The trees are widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including Southern Europe, South and East Asia, southern and central North America, south and central Africa, and northern and central South America.
Ecology
Some species, including common hackberry (C. occidentalis) and C. brasiliensis, are honey plants and a pollen source for honeybees of lesser importance.
Lepidoptera
Celtis species are used as food plants by the caterpillars of certain Lepidoptera. These include mainly brush-footed butterflies, most importantly the distinct genus Libythea (beak butterflies) and some Apaturinae (emperor butterflies):
Acytolepis puspa – common hedge blue, recorded on Chinese hackberry (C. sinensis)
Automeris io – Io moth, recorded on southern hackberry (C. laevigata)
Asterocampa celtis – hackberry butterfly or hackberry emperor
Libythea celtis – European beak
Libythea labdaca – African beak
Libythea lepita – common beak
Libythea myrrha – club beak, recorded on C. tetrandra
Libytheana carinenta – American snout or common snout butterfly
Nymphalis xanthomelas – scarce tortoiseshell, recorded on European hackberry (C. australis)
Sasakia charonda – great purple emperor, recorded on C. jessoensis and C. sinensis
A putative new taxon of the two-barred flasher (Astraptes fulgerator) cryptic species complex, provisionally called "CELT," has hitherto only been found on C. iguanaea.
Pathogens
The plant pathogenic basidiomycete fungus Perenniporia celtis was first described from a Celtis host plant. Some species of Celtis are threatened by habitat destruction.
Uses
Several species are grown as ornamental trees, valued for their drought tolerance. They are a regular feature of arboreta and botanical gardens, particularly in North America. Chinese hackberry (C. sinensis) is suited for bonsai culture; a magnificent specimen in Daegu-myeon is one of the natural monuments of South Korea. The berries are generally edible when they ripen and fall. C. occidentalis fruit was used by the Omaha, eaten casually, as well as the Dakota people, who pounded them fine, seeds and all. The Pawnee used the pounded fruits in combination with fat and parched corn.
Hackberry wood is sometimes used in cabinetry and woodworking. The berries of some, such as C. douglasii, are edible, and were consumed by the Mescalero Apaches.
Gallery
References
External links
Plants used in bonsai
Rosales genera