Trema tomentosa

Species: Trema tomentosa

English Name: India-charcoal Trema

Chinese Name: 山黃麻

Family: Ulmaceae

Description:

Trees or shrubs, to 10 m tall. Bark grayish brown, smooth or fissured. Branchlets grayish brown to brown, densely grayish brown to gray pubescent. Stipules linear-lanceolate, 6-9 mm. Petiole 0.7-1.8 cm, pubescent; leaf blade grayish brown to black-brown when dry, 7-15(-20) × 3-7(-8) cm, abaxially with grayish brown pubescence, surface of blade visible between hairs under magnification, adaxially very scabrous with erect bristles, base cordate and oblique, margin denticulate, apex acuminate, caudate-acuminate, or rarely acute; basally 3-veined; secondary veins 4 or 5 on each side of midvein. Male inflorescences 2-4.5 cm. Female inflorescences 1-2 cm. Male flowers: subsessile, 1.5-2 mm in diam. Ovary rudimentary, obovate-oblong, compressed, transparent. Female flowers: shortly pedicellate. Tepals 4 or 5, triangular-ovate, 1-1.5 mm. Ovary glabrous. Drupes brownish purple to blackish purple when mature, compressed, 2-3 mm in diam., irregularly rugate, glabrous; perianth persistent. Seed broadly ovoid, compressed, 1.5-2 mm, ribbed. Fl. Mar-Jun (but year-round in tropical zones), fr. Sep-Nov.

Photos used under a Creative Commons license

References:

– Wu ZY, Raven PH, Hong DY (eds) (2003). Flora of China, Volume 5: Ulmaceae through Basellaceae. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Bot Garden Press, St. Louis