Common Name:

General Information

Celtis adolfi-friderici is a semideciduous tree, usually growing up to 35 metres tall, but with specimens up to 50 metres having been recorded. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for up to 30 metres and up to 100cm in diameter; it has wide-spreading buttresses up to 2 metres high[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild, mainly for local use as a medicine and source of wood. The wood is occasionally exported[].
Celtis adolfi-friderici has an extent of occurrence that exceeds 1 million km2. It is assumed that the population is large as the species is known to be common in dry forests. No threats to the species have yet been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2018)[].

Known Hazards

The wood dust may cause allergic reactions and skin irritation in wood workers[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Liberia to southern Central African Republic, southern Sudan, northern DR Congo and Uganda.

Habitat

Most common in semi-deciduous forest; it markedly prefers drier forests. It is often found in secondary forest and gallery forest, and occurs at elevations up to 900 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	40.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position, although younger seedlings do appreciate a bit of shade[]. Prefers a well-drained, fertile soil[].
Plants have a moderately fast rate of growth - they are usually around 40cm tall after one year and then grow at a rate of 20 - 100cm a year[, ].

Edible Uses

Seed[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the bark is taken to treat general malaise, severe cough, fever and headache, and as an emetic[].
The bark pulp is applied on scarifications in the chest to relieve costal and side pains[]

The fruits have been used to treat tuberculosis[].

A leaf decoction is used for treating sore eyes[].

Some traces of alkaloids have been reported in the bark and leaves[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is white to pale yellow when freshly cut, later turning to grey-white; it is not distinctly demarcated from the sapwood. The grain is usually straight, sometimes interlocked; texture moderately fine; the wood is usually lustrous; fresh cut and rewetted wood has an unpleasant odour. The wood is medium-weight; fairly hard; of low durability, with an expected service life of 1 - 8 years for external usage, being susceptible to attacks of blue-stain fungi and insects, including termites and Lyctus borers. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It works well with both hand and machine tools, though it has a moderate blunting effect on cutting tools so stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide are recommended; straight-grained stock planes well, but a cutting angle of 15° is recommended to avoid tearing in wood with interlocked grain; it finishes and polishes very well; is difficult to nail and screw so pre-boring is recommended to prevent splitting; it glues well; veneering properties are variable. The heartwood is moderately resistant to preservative treatment, but the sapwood is permeable. The wood is used for light construction, flooring, joinery, interior trim, frames, staircases, furniture, ladders, sporting goods, agricultural implements, handles, pestles, crates, boxes, match splints, hardboard and particle board. It is suitable for mine props, ship building, railway sleepers, veneer and plywood[, ].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - when sown fresh, the seed sprouts within 15 - 30 days, though with quite a low germination rate[]. Pre-treatment by soaking seeds in water and exposing them to the sun can accelerate germination and increase the germination rate[].

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