Virginia Tech Dendrology

white stinkwood Ulmaceae Celtis africana Burm. f. symbol: CEAF3
Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, 2 to 5 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide, long acuminate tip, only upper half of leaf serrated, three distinct veins meet at the inequilateral base, somewhat thickened.
Flower: Very small (1/8 inch), greenish, produced on stalks in leaf axils, appearing in spring in Africa.
Fruit: Fleshy, sweet and edible, globose drupe, 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter, dark yellow-brown or nearly black when ripe in late summer.
Twig: Slender, zig-zag, appressed buds.
Bark: Gray or nearly white and smooth, may develop scales or horizontal ridges.
Form: A medium sized tree to 75 feet, with a broadly rounded dense crown.
Looks like: netleaf hackberry

Additional Range Information: Celtis africana is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information