Nettle-tree

Nettle-tree (Celtis), a genus of deciduous trees of the natural order Ulmaceæ, with simple and generally serrated leaves, considerably resembling those of the Common Nettle, but not stinging. The genus is distinguished chiefly by its fruit, which is a fleshy, globose, or sub-globose 1-celled drupe. The Common or European Nettle-tree (C. australis) is a native of the south of Europe, the west of Asia, and the north of Africa. It grows to a height of 30 to 40 feet, and is a very handsome tree, often planted along public walks in the south of France and north of Italy. The wood is very compact, very durable, and takes a high polish. It was formerly much imported into Britain for the use of coachmakers, and is used in Italy by musical-instrument makers for flutes and pipes. The flowers are inconspicuous, axillary, and solitary; the fruit black, resembling a small wild cherry, not eatable till after the first frosts, and then very sweet. The kernel yields a useful fixed oil. The tree succeeds well in the south of England. C. occidentalis is a native of North America from Canada to Texas, and is also called the Nettle-tree, Sugar Berry, Hackberry or Hagberry, and Hoop Ash. Its leaves are much broader than those of C. australis, its fruit very similar. It is a much larger tree, attaining a height of 60 to 80 feet. There are several varieties, which are sometimes but needlessly classified as distinct species. The inner bark of C. orientalis, consisting of reticulated fibres, forms a kind of natural cloth, used by some tribes of India. A number of other species are natives of the warm parts of America and of Asia.