European nettle tree

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European nettle tree
European nettle tree (Celtis australis)

European nettle tree ( Celtis australis )

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden I
Order : Rose-like (rosales)
Family : Hemp plants (Cannabaceae)
Genre : Nettle trees ( Celtis )
Type : European nettle tree
Scientific name
Celtis australis
L.

The European hackberry or southern hackberry ( Celtis australis ) is a medium-sized tree with mostly smooth trunk bark, coarse leaves and edible stone fruits. The plant species belongs to the genus of hackberry trees ( Celtis ), which was previously assigned to the elm family (Ulmaceae), but according to more recent findings is classified in the hemp family (Cannabaceae). It is often imprecisely called “hackberry tree”, although there are around 100 species in the genus. The natural range of the species extends over the south of Europe, parts of Africa and Turkey. The German name Zürgelbaum comes from South Tyrol, where the fruits are called Zürgeln and are used in baked goods and for desserts. The hard but elastic wood was used to make musical instruments, wagon wheels and oars.

description

illustration
leaves

The European nettle tree is a 10 to 25 meter high tree with a broadly spreading crown. The trunk bark is gray and smooth and only flakes open in old age. The shoots are hairy. The leaves are arranged alternately. The petiole is 5 to 10 millimeters long and hairy downy. The leaf blade is coarse and somewhat leathery, elliptical-elongated, rarely from 4, usually 7 to 13, rarely up to 20 centimeters long and from 1, usually 2 to 4 and rarely up to 6 centimeters wide, long, pointed with broadly wedge-shaped or rounded, slate Base and leaf margin sharply serrated almost to the base. The upper side of the leaf is dark green and rough due to the short, stiff hair, the underside is gray-green and softly haired.

The flowers are monoecious and predominantly hermaphroditic. The flowers grow individually in leaf axils and appear together with the leaves. Unisexual male flowers appear in clusters on young branches. The flowers are pale yellow-green to blue-green, finely hairy and have long stalks. The perianth is four- to six-fold and has a brownish tinge. Four to six short stamens are formed. The ovary is bottle-shaped, up to 1.4 centimeters long and thus at least twice as long as the rest of the flower. The scar is white, forked, and feathery. The fruits are spherical, 1 to 1.2 centimeters in diameter, initially yellowish white and purple-brown when ripe, sweetish and edible drupes on stems up to 3 centimeters long. The stone core has numerous depressions. The European nettle tree blooms from March to May, the fruits ripen in September.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 40.

Distribution and location requirements

The natural distribution area is in Europe in Portugal, in Spain with the Balearic Islands, in France with Corsica, in Italy (with Sardinia and Sicily) and on the Balkan Peninsula from Slovenia to Greece; in Africa in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia and in Turkey. The species was naturalized in Switzerland, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Australia and California. The European hackberry grows in steppes and dry forests on moderately dry to fresh, weakly acidic to alkaline, sandy-loamy to loamy, nutrient-rich soils in sunny and hot locations. The species is sensitive to frost and loves lime. The distribution area is assigned to winter hardiness zone 6b with mean annual minimum temperatures of −20.5 to −17.8 ° C (−5 to 0 ° F).

Systematics

The European hackberry ( Celtis australis ) is a kind of genre of hackberry ( Celtis ) in the family of the hemp family (cannabaceae). In the past, the species was assigned to the elm family (Ulmaceae). It was first scientifically described by Carl von Linné in the Species Plantarum in 1753 . The genus name Celtis comes from the Latin, celthis or celtis was named by Pliny, a plant that occurs in Africa, probably the species Celtis australis described here . The specific epithet australis also comes from Latin and means south. The word is derived from oyster , the Latin word for a south wind.

use

The wood of the European nettle tree is hard and elastic. It was used to make musical instruments, wagon wheels, oars, fishing rods, and whip handles. The tree is therefore also known as the "whip tree" in some areas. The fruits of the hackberry tree are used in South Tyrol for desserts and in baked goods. The fruits are called Zürgeln there, the German name Zürgelbaum also comes from South Tyrol. In Central Europe, the species is not completely hardy, so it is only used in heat-favored areas in parks and gardens as an ornamental plant , and more rarely as a street tree.

Common names

For the European hackberry tree, the other German-language common names exist or existed : Bohnenbaum, Nesselbaum, Zirgelbaum, Zirkelbaum and Zürgelbaum (already mentioned in 1597).

swell

literature

  • Andreas Roloff , Andreas Bärtels: Flora of the woods. Purpose, properties and use. With a winter key from Bernd Schulz. 3rd, corrected edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5614-6 , p. 174.
  • Manfred A. Fischer , Karl Oswald, Wolfgang Adler: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol. 3rd, improved edition. State of Upper Austria, Biology Center of the Upper Austrian State Museums, Linz 2008, ISBN 978-3-85474-187-9 , p. 552.
  • Jost Fitschen: Woody flora . 12th, revised and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2007, ISBN 3-494-01422-1 , p. 399 .
  • Mark Bachhofer, Joachim Mayer: The new cosmos tree guide . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-440-11930-3 , p. 64 .
  • Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7 , pp. 88, 138 (reprint from 1996).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ German name after Fischer, Oswald, Adler: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol , p. 552
  2. ↑ German name after Roloff, Bärtels: Flora der Gehölze , p. 174 and Fitschen: Gehölzflora , p. 399
  3. ^ Illustration from Otto Wilhelm Thomé: Flora of Germany, Austria and Switzerland , 1885, Gera ( online )
  4. ↑ a b c Bachhofer, Mayer: Der neue Kosmos Baumführer , p. 64
  5. ↑ a b c Roloff et al .: Flora of the Woods , pp. 439–440
  6. ^ A b Fischer, Oswald, Adler: Excursion flora for Austria, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol , p. 552
  7. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 319.
  8. ↑ a b c Celtis australis . In: Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, accessed November 17, 2012 .
  9. ↑ Exactly: Etymological Dictionary of Botanical Plant Names , p. 138
  10. ↑ Exactly: Etymological Dictionary of Botanical Plant Names , p. 88
  11. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 86. ( online ).

Web links

Commons : European nettle tree ( Celtis australis )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files