Genus CELTIS, Toum. 



Ulmaceae. Polygamia Monoecia ; or Pentandria Digynia. 



Syst. Nat. Syst. Lin. 



Derivation. The word Celtis is one of the names anciently given to the lotus, and is said to refer to the European nettle- 

 tree, (Celtis australis,) haying been known to the ancient Celts. 



Cmerk Characters. Flowers borne upon the shoots of the year, axillary ; either solitary, or 2 3 together, 

 each, in any case, upon a peduncle ; or from 2 to many, in a raceme or panicle ; in the kinds hardy in 

 Britain, the flowers are protruded just previously to the leaves to which they, or the fruits, are after- 

 wards axillary ; bisexual, or less commonly, by the imperfection of the pistil, only male in effect ; both 

 kinds upon one plant, and when they occur in the same raceme, the latter are the lower. Calyx bell- 

 shaped, distinct from the ovary, 5 6-parted, the segments imbricate in aestivation. Stamens 5 6, 

 inserted into the base of the calyx, oppositely to its lobes, and they are shorter than the lobes. Fila- 

 ments at first incurved. Anthers cordate -acuminate ; the cells 2, opening at the sides. Ovary ovate, 

 1-celled. Stigmas 2, sessile, acuminate, long, spreading or recurved, downy or glanded, simple or 2- 

 parted. Fruit a drupe, sub-globose. Ovule and seed, each 1, and pendulous. Embryo sickle-shaped, 

 its radicle uppermost ; traces of sub-gelatinous albumen are between the cotyledons. Leaves alternate, 

 in 2 ranks, ovate and pointed, unequal at the base, serrate ; rough on the upper surface, apparently 

 from the callous bases and remains of bristles ; annual in the hardy kinds, in Britain, and these have 

 the primary veins forming but a small angle with the midrib, and extending through a considerable 

 portion of the length of the disk. Stipules lanceolate, soon falling off. Leaves in the bud not folded, but 

 plaited, with scales present between leaf and leaf. Fleshy part of the fruit eatable, but small in quan- 

 tity. Loudon, Arboretum, from Nees Von Esenbeck, Sprengel, and Others. 



^HE genus Celtis is composed of handsome trees and shrubs, natives 

 of Europe, northern Africa, the Levant, China, India, North and 

 South America, the West Indies, &c. Most of them have spread- 

 ing heads and slender branchlets, covered with tough fibrous bark 

 of the nature of hemp, varying in size and foliage, bearing small 

 edible fruit, which is remarkably sweet, and is said to be whole- 

 some. The most noted species are the European nettle-tree, (Celtis australis,) 

 and the North American nettle-tree (Celtis occidentalis.) The former is a 

 deciduous tree, native of both shores of the Mediterranean, and is particularly 

 abundant throughout the whole of the south of France, Spain, and Italy, and 

 is distinguished by its long, slender, flexible branches, with a grayish bark, 

 spotted with white, and slightly covered, at the extremities, with down. The 

 leaves are of a dark-green, marked strongly by the nerves on the lower side, 

 and, when young, are covered with a yellowish pubescence. They are oval- 

 lanceolate, terminating in a point at the summit, and at the base, with one side 

 prolonged down to the petiole. The flowers, which are small, greenish, and 

 inconspicuous, are produced at the same time as the leaves. The fruit, which is 

 blackish, when ripe, and resembles a small, withered, wild cherry, is said not to 

 become edible till the appearance of the first frost ; and remains upon the tree 

 until the following spring. It is remarkably sweet, and is supposed to have been 

 the lotus of the ancients, the food of the Lotophagi, which Herodotus, Dioscor- 

 ides, and Theophrastus describe as sweet, pleasant, and wholesome; and which, 

 Homer says, was so delicious as to make those who ate of it, forget their coun- 

 try. This tree is much used in the north of Italy, and in the south of France, 

 for planting squares and public walks, where it is frequently to be found from 

 forty to fifty, and even seventy feet in height. The wood is extremely compact, 

 ranking between that of the live oak and the box, for hardness and density, and 

 'onsequently is applicable to a great variety of purposes in the arts. 



All the species will grow in a rather moist soil, and may be propagated by lay- 

 ers, and in most cases from seeds. 



