Morphology
The tala is a medium to large sized tree, sometimes reaching 12m high. According to water availability it may become arboreus or shrubby. It prefers dry or slightly moist, well drained soil. When arboreus the trunk is rather tortuous, nearing 40 cm in diameter. When shrubby, it produces several branched trunks of 20 cm in diameter. Its birch is light colored, gray to brown. The Tala tends to branch abundantly, producing a dense mesh of branches in zigzag patterns, with strong spines in the foliar axis, 1,5 or more, cm long.
The leaves are alternate, peciolate and simple, their base rounded and the margin serrated in the apical region. Leaves are trinervate, acuminate, of a dark green colour. This tree flowers in spring, producing inconspicuous yellowish pentamerous flowers. Since it presents hermaphrodite flowers, it is self-fertile. Tala fruit is a small drupe, 1 cm wide that hangs in short clusters. Not very fleshy and with a proportionally large seed within, it is however very sweet and pleasant to the taste.
Read more about this topic: Celtis Tala
Famous quotes containing the word morphology:
“I ascribe a basic importance to the phenomenon of language.... To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization.”
—Frantz Fanon (1925–1961)