Chaetachme aristata
Planch.
Thorny elm
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(c) Catherine Parker, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Catherine Parker
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(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten
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(c) graham_g, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A shrub or small tree. It can be scrambling or spreading. It can grow to 13 m tall. The branches are drooping. They zigzag. The bark is smooth and grey. The twigs can have spines at the end and in the leaf axils. The leaves are 3-9 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. They are oval and tape to the tip. There is a bristle as the end. They are dark green and shiny above and paler underneath. The flower groups are 5-15 mm long and greenish-cream. There are small bracts under them. The fruit is green but turns yellow or orange as it ripens. It is oval and 35 mm long by 20 mm wide.
Edible Uses
The fruit is eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows at low to medium altitudes in mixed evergreen forest. In Malawi it grows between 600-1,300 m altitude.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Notes
There is only one Chaetacme species. Also put in the family Celtidaceae.
Synonyms
References (5)
- Fowler, D. G., 2007, Zambian Plants: Their Vernacular Names and Uses. Kew. p 78
- Glover et al, 1066b,
- Glover, 1967,
- Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 195
- White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. and Chapman, J. D., 2001, Evergreen Forest Flora of Malawi. Kew. p 575
