The plant around us. Volume 1 The plant around us. Volume I | Page 40

Celtis australis
English: Hackeberry
Spanish: Almez
Estonian: Harilik tseltis
Turkish: Çitlembik
It is a kind of deciduous tree that usually
reaches 20 or 25 meters in height, inhabits
ravines and hillsides in the bands farthest
from the banks, rivers and streams.
Its bark is gray and smooth. This tree is
more common in cooler climates
Flowers
Its flowers are white very
inconspicuous, have no petals and
are only formed by 5 sepals.
Its wind-pollinated flowers are
hermaphrodite (having both male
and female organs), small and
green, either singly or in small
clusters.
Fruit
Leaves
Its leaves, 5 to 15 cm long,
are alternate, petiolate,
ovo-lanceolate and
delicately sawn, with no
petiole
The fruit, called almeza, is
edible and has a pleasant flavor,
almost black on the outside and
yellow on the inside at maturity,
with a bone the size of a
peppercorn. It flowers between
March and April, and its fruits
mature at the end of summer or
in autumn.