Celtis occidentalis
(Sugarberry / Hackberry)
By Chhe (talk) - Own work (Original text: I created this work entirely by myself.), Public Domain, Source
Usually a large size tree normally about 60′ tall having a symmetrical crown.
Leaves: alternate, simple, ovate 2 to 4″ long, thick, rough above and edges are toothed toward the long point.
Flowers: Male and female on same tree, April or May with creamy greenish color.
Fruit: oblong, round, berry, dark purple, 1/3″ in diameter, ripening in September.
Twigs: slender, zigzag, smooth, terminal buds, absent, 3 bundle scars, leaf scars, oval to crescent shaped.
Bark: Gray-brown to silvery gray, several corky warts, scaly on old trees.
Comments: Not recommended for landscape planting, fruit is a source of food for turkey birds, pheasant, and grouse, tree is occasionally planted for decorative purposes, thrives in rich, moist, alluvial soils.
“Celtis laevigata, sugarberry” by Suzanne Cadwell is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Celtis occidentalis (bark) - Ulmaceae” by Kerry Woods is licensed under CC BY 2.0