Celtis australis
European nettle tree

Mediterranean hackberry or European nettle tree (Celtis australis) is a large deciduous tree from Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor with a broad ecological adaptability. The leaf resembles that of the nettle, hence the common name. It thrives in diverse habitats but prefers poor soils made of sand, rock, or clay, and is drought tolerant. It is found in mixed deciduous forests, reaching a height of up to 30 metres. It prefers full-sun exposure and suffers in severe winter frosts. The tree's small, greenish flowers support pollinators, while its berry-like drupes provide food for birds and mammals. Mediterranean hackberry is used for afforestation of difficult terrains and in erosion control due to its strong root system; it is also used in urban environments because it tolerates city air pollution, and its leaves decompose quickly. In North Africa or the Himalayas Mediterranean hackberry is used in agriculture for fodder, fuel, and timber (Khan et al., 2021).

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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)


Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Celtis australis conservation in Europe

Mediterranean hackberry has moderate genetic diversity across its native range in southern Europe and has significant diversity in phenotypic traits such as leaf length and width, growth rate, and disease resistance (Khan et al., 2021). The species may be experiencing genetic reductions and losing genetic diversity because of anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, agricultural mechanization, and urbanization (Khan et al., 2021). Further research is needed to understand the full genetic variability and genetic structure of different populations of Mediterranean hackberry. Genetic markers reveal varying degrees of connectivity among populations, driven by natural factors such as wind-dispersed pollen and bird-aided seed movement.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Glacial biogeography evolution

Mediterranean hackberry distribution has been affected by glacial periods, and Pleistocene–Holocene climate shifts (Martínez-Varea et al., 2023). Its native European distribution might have contracted to more southern refugia in Iberian and Italian peninsulas during glacial maxima, with molecular studies hinting at postglacial recolonization routes. Expansion continued during warmer interglacial periods in the middle Holocene and during the bronze age, possibly encouraged by human expansion, with evidence of consumption in hunter-gatherer groups (Martínez-Varea et al., 2023).

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

No available information.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic Characterisation of Celtis australis and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

FOREMATIS

Contacts of experts

NA

Further reading

El-Alfy, T.S., El-Gohary, H.M., Sokkar, N.M., El-Tawab, S.A., and Al-Mahdy, D.A. 2011. Botanical and genetic characteristics of Celtis australis L. and Celtis occidentalis L. grown in Egypt. Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, 49(1): 37–57.

Mateu-Andrés, I., Ciurana, M.-J., Aguilella, A., Boisset, F., Guara, M., Laguna, E., Currás, R. et al. 2015. Plastid DNA homogeneity in Celtis australis L. (Cannabaceae) and Nerium oleander L. (Apocynaceae) throughout the Mediterranean Basin. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 176: 421–432.

References

Khan, A., Ihsan, M., Hazrat, A., Nisar, M., Laiq, M., Bibi, M., Ali, N. et al. 2021. Evaluation of genetic diversity in wild Celtis australis L. genotypes using multivariate analysis. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 37(4): 1098–1499.

Martínez-Varea, C.M., Carrión Marco, Y., Raigón, M.D., and Badal, E. 2023. Redrawing the history of Celtis australis in the Mediterranean basin under Pleistocene–Holocene climate shifts. Forests, 14: 779.