15. Chinese hackberry
Celtis sinensis  (朴樹)

The Chinese hackberry is a real local with strong Chinese connections, being found in most regions of China.

This attractive deciduous tree likes to display its small compact flowers in spring on bare, leafless branches before the new leaves unfold. The leaves are oval in shape, half a hand length in size and with a margin displaying two edges. The top half is gently toothed while the lower leaf has a smooth entire edge.

Despite the smallness of the flowers, the Chinese hackberry produces conspicuous fruits which present a panorama of colours from green, orange-red to black.