Aphananthe Planch. (1873), in the family Ulmaceae, contains around 6 species. Description Trees to 30m, fast-growing. The leaves are alternate, deciduous, very rough, parallel-veined, oblique at the base. Flowers are small, unisexual, appearing as the leaves unfurl, the males in many-flowered bunches at the base of the twigs, the females singly in the leaf axils towards the tips. Sepals 4 or 5; petals absent. Stamens 4 or 5. Carpel 1, with a deeply 2-lobed style. Pollination is by wind. The fruits are 1-seeded, black, juicy, often hairy, with persistent styles, on stalks 7–8mm long. Key Recognition Features The very rough, toothed leaves, with straight, pinnate veins ending in the teeth. Evolution and Relationships The genus is very close to Celtis, differing mainly in the leaves. Ecology and Geography In rocky places and by roadsides in the lowlands; 1 species in Mexico; 3 in Madagascar; A. aspera (Thunb.) Planch., the sandpaper tree, is found in Korea, Japan, and China, with a closely related species ranging through tropical South East Asia to northern Australia. Comment Aphananthe aspera is sometimes planted as a fast-growing timber tree. Illustrated here: Aphananthe aspera |
