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Celtis africana

by Johan Wentzel

Celtis africana
Common Name
White stinkwood
Plant Type
Tree
This popular garden tree is graceful and fast growing. The bark is silvery grey and the tree is beautifully shaped.
Plant Description

Celtis africana is a fast growing, very attractive shade tree.  It can reach 12 m in height under ideal circumstances. It has a dense broad crown  that can easily spread up to 10 m. This high branching tree with smooth, silvery bark is the epitome of a four season tree and is a wonderful climbing tree for kids.

In spring the tender, green leaves interplay beautifully with the pale grey to dirty white bark of the trunk.  Inconspicuous green flowers appear from August to October, and are followed by small, yellow fruit during summer that will attract wildlife and birds to the garden.

Leaves turn golden during autumn and drop to the ground to make way for the winter skeletal outline that has a stark beauty of its own.  Celtis africana provides ample shade on hot summer afternoons, but allows light and warmth to filter through during the cool winter months.

Celtis africana is fairly frost and drought resistant, this tree can often be seen lining the streets and parks of our towns. It does not have an aggressive root system.

The White Stinkwood is not related to the true stinkwood, but was named for its light coloured wood and the unpleasant smell when its branches are cut.

It hybridises freely with exotic Celtis species.

You may find stock of this plant at Random Harvest.

Afrikaanse Naam
Wit stinkhout
Hardiness
Very hardy
Position
Sun
Water Requirements
Water wise
Evergreen
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast
Flowering Time
Early summer
Flower Colour
Green
Shape
Upright
Soil
Loam
Plant Size
>10m
Region
Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Limpopo, North West
Habitat
Grassland, Savannah, Rocky outcrops
Grown by Wildflower Nursery
Yes
  • Celtis africana

Trackbacks

  1. Garden Trees From The Grassland Biome - Wildflower Nursery says:
    2018-03-22 at 4:30 pm

    […] of the old stalwarts is the white stinkwood, Celtis africana. In gardens it can reach a height of 5-8 m. The leaves are a delicate pale green in spring, […]

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