Cannabaceae
Trema orientalis
- Ripe fruit on leafless stem.
- Leafy branch.
- Midrib and venation, lower surface.
- Ripe fruit.
- Leaf base, immature fruit and flowers.
General Information
This species flowers and fruits profusely. The flowers are small and insignificant on the leafy shoots. Careful examination with a hand lens will reveal a similarity to the flowers of Celtis species in the same family. The young green fruit are more obvious and often occur with the flowers. The ripe fruit are black and often the leaves have been shed by the time the fruit are mature. The leaves are regularly toothed all the way round the margin. The venation is clearly impressed above when fresh. The bark is stringy and because of this the branches are hard to break off cleanly by hand.
Ecology
Common along roadsides and other extremely disturbed habitats. The small seeds and fast growth are adaptations to being a weed. It is rare to absent in undisturbed forest.
Distribution
Distribution: Tropical Africa, Arabia and Asia.