Description
Celtis – Hackberry – Nettle Tree –
There are about 100 species of vigorous, deciduous and evergreen trees and shrub, in this genus. They occur in temperate and tropical regions in both hemispheres, usually in woodlands, on rocky slopes, or on riverbanks. Hackberries are grown for their form, habit and foliage, which often colors well in autumn. They have smooth or slightly rough bark. They have oval, alternate and usually toothed leaves with pointed tips. The small green, unisexual flowers are borne in spring, male flowers are held in cluster at the base of twigs, while females are held singly or in 2’s or threes from the leaf axils and followed in autumn by small, spherical, fleshy berries, which ripen to black or dark brown and attract birds. Use hackberries as lawn specimen or in a woodland garden. They grow best in continental climates with hot summer, in cool, maritime climate they often form small, multi stemmed trees.
In warm climates, grow in deep, fertile, moist but well drained soil in sun or partial shade. In cooler areas, hackberries thrive in dry soils and need a warm site in full sun.
Prone to powdery mildew, downy mildew, mushroom root rot, fungal root rot, leaf spots, hackberry psyllid leaf gall, hackberry witches broom, eriophyid mites, and nematodes.
C. occidentalis – American Hackberry – This spreading, deciduous, low branching tree from Eastern North America grows 40-70′ feet tall and 50′ feet wide. It has smooth gray bark when young late becomes rough. It produces broadly ovate to ovate-lance shaped, sharply toothed leaves, to 5″ long, rounded to heart shaped at the bases, they are glossy, mid green above, paler and sparsely softly hairy on the veins beneath, which turn clear pale yellow in autumn. It bears edible, pea sized fruit, to ½” across, ripen from yellow or red to dull purple.
Zones 3-10
