Chaetachme aristata Planch.

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Photo: Julian Spurway
National Botanic Garden, Harare

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Synonyms:	Chaetachme nitida Planch. & Harv. Chaetachme serrata Engl.
Common names:	Thorny elm (English)
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	Scrambling shrub or tree up to 13 m. Bark pale grey, smooth. Branches distinctly zig-zag, armed with axillary spines, often paired. Stipules conspicuous,10-20 mm, falling early. Leaves elliptic to ovate, 3-9 × 1.5-4.5 cm, dark glossy green, leathery, midrib grooved; apex broadly tapering to rounded, often notched and with a bristly, hair-like tip; margin entire or serrate with a few teeth; petiole 3-6 mm. Flowers in axillary clusters, unisexual on the same tree, small, greenish. Fruit spherical, c.1.5 mm in diameter, yellow to orange when ripe, tipped with the remains of the long stigmas.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	aristata: bearing a long bristle-like point; aristate
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Oct - Dec
Worldwide distribution:	From West Africa to Sudan and South to Eswatini, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Growth form(s):	Tree.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Charaxes cithaeron cithaeron (Food plant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 68. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Pages 128 - 129. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 233. As Chaetacme aristata Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 81. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 109. Siebert, S. & Mössmer, M. (Editors) (2002). SABONET Southern Mozambique Expedition 2001; Provisional Plant Checklist of the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and Licuati Forest Reserve (LFR) SABONET News 7(1) Page 29. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 181. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 228. Wilmot-Dear, C.M. (1991). Ulmaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(6) Pages 2 - 3. As Chaetacme aristata (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Chaetachme aristata:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Chaetachme aristata
Flora of Caprivi: Chaetachme aristata
Flora of Malawi: Chaetachme aristata
Flora of Mozambique: Chaetachme aristata
Flora of Zambia: Chaetachme aristata
Flora of Zimbabwe: Chaetachme aristata

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Chaetachme aristata
African Plant Database: Chaetachme aristata
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Chaetachme aristata
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Chaetachme aristata
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Chaetachme aristata
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Chaetachme aristata
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Chaetachme aristata
JSTOR Plant Science: Chaetachme aristata
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Chaetachme aristata
Plants of the World Online: Chaetachme aristata
Tropicos: Chaetachme aristata
Wikipedia: Chaetachme aristata