Celtis paniculata, commonly known as tripewood, silky keltis, silky celtis, native hackberry, native celtis, Investigator tree or whitewood, is a rainforest tree native to parts of Malesia, Melanesia and Australia. Description The tree grows to tall and trunk width, though usually much smaller. The trunk is mostly cylindrical and somewhat buttressed at the base. The bark is thin, greyish brown and smooth, with pustular vertical lines. Leaves Leaves are elliptical in shape with a prominent leaf tip. Leaves are alternate and simple, smooth, not toothed, long with a pointed tip. The leaf stalk is somewhat channelled and flattened on the top, and in length. Both sides of the leaf are of a dull green shade. With a hand lens, translucent glands may be seen in the leaves. The base of the leaf is often oblique, that is of unequal length on either side of the leaf stem. Leaf venation is more evident under the leaf. An identifying feature is the intramarginal leaf vein, which starts at the leaf base and travels on either edge of the leaf, a distance of ¼ to ½ the length of the leaf. Flowers and fruit Green flowers in axilliary cymes or panicles appear from December to January. The fruit is a blue to black, round to oval shaped drupe, long. containing a single seed which has veiny ridges. Fruit matures from July to March. Germination and seedlings Germination takes between 48 and 100 days. The cotyledons are large, about 30 x 25 mm with an apex divided into two acute lobes. The first pairs of juvenile leaves are often toothed. At the tenth leaf stage leaves become oval in shape with a prominent tip. Taxonomy & Naming This plant first appeared in scientific literature as Solenostigma paniculatum in 1833, published in the Prodromus Florae Norfolkicae by the Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher. The type specimen was collected at Norfolk Island by the artist Ferdinand Bauer. The specific epithet paniculata refers to the tufted and branched flowers. In 1848 Jules Émile Planchon moved the species to the Celtis genus. Origin of the name "Investigator Tree" In 1802 the explorer Matthew Flinders discovered and named Sweers Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria during his circumnavigation of Australia in the sloop HMS Investigator, and he carved the word "Investigator" into a tree on the island, a specimen of Celtis paniculata. The tree became well known amongst later explorers,