Celtis australis
| Celtis australis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 66' |
| Width: | 33' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Celtis australis (common name: nettle tree)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. Stored seed is best given 2 - 3 months cold stratification and then sown February/March in a greenhouse[2][1]. Germination rates are usually good, though the stored seed might take 12 months or more to germinate. The seed can be stored for up to 5 years[3]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. The leaves of seedlings often have a lot of white patches without chlorophyll, this is normal and older plants produce normal green leaves. Grow the seedlings on in a cold frame for their first winter, and plant them out in the following late spring or early summer[K]. Give them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings
Cultivation: Succeeds in any reasonably good soil, preferring a good fertile well-drained loamy soil[4][5][1]. Succeeds on dry gravels and on sandy soils[1]. The trees have deep spreading roots[6] and are very drought resistant once established[7][1].
This species requires mild winters if it is to succeed[8]. Trees prefer hotter summers and more sunlight than are normally experienced in Britain, they often do not fully ripen their wood when growing in this country and they are then very subject to die-back in winter[4][5][1]. A hardier form, from seed collected in the Caucasus, is in cultivation in Britain[5].
The fruit and the seed are sometimes sold in local markets in the Balkans[9][10]. This plant is said to be the lotus fruit of the ancients[10]. It is mentioned in the story of Odysseus returning from Troy and the story relates that if a person should eat the fruit they will never leave that area.
Coppices well[11]. A good shade tree[1].
Trees can be very long-lived, perhaps to 1000 years[1].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
Range: S. Europe.
Habitat: Hedges, banks and sandy places[12].
Edibility: Fruit - raw[8][6][12]. A mealy pleasant taste[7]. Small and insipidly sweet[13][10]. Of little value[14]. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter[1] with a single large seed[K].
Seed - raw or cooked[6][9][15][16].
An oil is obtained from the seed[6][16].
Medicinal: The leaves and fruit are astringent, lenitive and stomachic[6][17]. The leaves are gathered in early summer and dried for later use[6]. The fruit, particularly before it is fully ripe, is considered to be more effective medicinally[17].
A decoction of both leaves and fruit is used in the treatment of amenorrhoea, heavy menstrual and intermenstrual bleeding and colic[18][19]. The decoction can also be used to astringe the mucous membranes in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery and peptic ulcers[17].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the bark[12].
A fatty oil is obtained from the seed[20]. No more information is given.
Wood - very tough, pliable, durable[9][15][21]. Widely used by turners[6]. Used for the handles of agricultural implements[22]. The flexible thin shoots are used as walking sticks[15]. An excellent fuel[11].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: C. lutea.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.
- ↑ Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.