hackberry

Hackberry Ulmaceae Celtis occidentalis L.
Other Names: Sugarberry, Nettletree, Common Hackberry, American Hackberry, Northern Hackberry

Description

Leaf: Alternate, simple, in 2 rows; blades ovate or broadly lance-shaped, long-pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering at the asymmetrical base; up to 6 inches long and up to half as broad; usually coarsely-toothed along the edges except sometimes near the base; smooth or more often roughly hairy on either or both surfaces; 3 main veins; leafstalks up to 1 inch long, smooth or hairy; turning yellow or chartreuse in autumn; leaves often bearing rounded galls caused by tiny jumping plant lice.

Flower: Male, female, and perfect flowers on same tree; arranged in drooping clusters or sometimes solitary; male and female at base of young leaves in early spring; greenish-yellow, 1/8 inch (3 mm) wide, without petals.

Fruit: Fleshy, nearly round, orange-red to dark purple, about 1/3 inch in diameter, with 1 seed; slender stalked at leaf bases; ripening in September and October.

Twig: Slender, gray to light- or reddish-brown, smooth or hairy, sometimes zigzag; leaf scars alternate, usually crescent-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.

Bark: Gray, smooth on young trees and soon bearing "warts," becoming rough and scaly on old trees.

Form: Medium or large tree up to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 5 feet; crown usually oblong, sometimes rounded, with spreading or slightly drooping branches and many small branchlets.

Discussion

The wood is very light-colored, coarse-textured and hard. It is relatively weak, compared to oak and maple, and is thus of limited importance. It is used for inexpensive furniture, millwork, sporting goods, boxes, crates, veneer for plywood. More commonly, the split wood is burned as fuel.

Large, sweet fruit crops are regularly produced, making this a favorite food of robins, cardinals, flickers, cedar waxwings, mockingbirds, prairie chickens, quail, pheasants, and woodpeckers; raccoons and squirrels feast on the fruit. Squirrels will eat the insect galls on the leaves, as well. Deer will browse on hackberry leaves, but they prefer other plant species. The trees host a variety of migratory warblers in spring and fall when swarms of tiny, black insects appear. Magnolia warblers often visit in large numbers, picking the insects from leaves and the trunk.

This is the largest landscape tree of the genus. Although it withstands drought, poorly-drained soils, and urban conditions, it is not suitable as a street tree because it is susceptible to damage by wind and ice storms. This species is useful for conservation planting in sites too wet for conifers. The vase-shaped or rounded crown casts good shade and the growth rate is moderately fast. The hackberry is suited for use as a shade tree in parks and large areas.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Hackberry leaves resemble those of some elms, but have 3 main veins arising from the base of the blade. This hackberry differs from other hackberries in Illinois by its larger, usually coarsely toothed leaves and its larger, dark purple fruits. The leaf has a strongly asymmetrical base.

Distribution

Massachusetts across to Manitoba and South Dakota, southern Oklahoma, Alabama and Virginia.

Images

Click each small picture to see a larger image.

Branch pattern
October, 2002

Ridges, old trunk
October, 2002

Trunk base
February, 2003
Zig-zag shape
February, 2003

Winter twig
February, 2003

Upper surface
June, 2003
Lower surface
June, 2003
Leaf margin
June, 2003

Flowers and
young leaves
April, 2003
April, 2003
April, 2003
What are the
green stalks?
Please email
if you know.
April, 2003
Fruits
June, 2003

Location

N 38.1167° W -89.9821°
West side of 200 Block of South High Street, Carlinville, Macoupin County, IL.

References

Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Forest Trees of Illinois, 1996, Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

George A. Petrides, Trees and Shrubs, 1958, Houghton Mifflin Company.

Elbert L. Little, Field Guide to Trees: Eastern Region, 1980, Alfred A. Knopf.

Iowa State University, Biology Department
http://project.bio.iastate.edu/trees/campustrees/Celtos?celtis_info.html

Ohio Department of Natural Resources
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/Education/ohiotrees/hackberry.htm

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	Branch pattern October, 2002	Ridges, old trunk October, 2002	Trunk base February, 2003	Zig-zag shape February, 2003 Winter twig February, 2003
Upper surface June, 2003	Lower surface June, 2003	Leaf margin June, 2003
Flowers and young leaves April, 2003	April, 2003	April, 2003	What are the green stalks? Please email if you know. April, 2003	Fruits June, 2003