HACKBERRY
Many tree species can be easily identified by their bark alone. One tree species has
bark that resembles worms crawling upon it. That tree species is the Hackberry (Celtis
occidentalis L.).
This tree is a member of the Order Rosales and of the Family Cannabaceae,
Celtidaceae, or Ulmaceae. (Different references list different families.)
The generic name, Celtis, is a Latin name given by Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder to
an unrelated Lotus tree, which may have been called “Celthis”. The specific epithet,
occidentalis, refers to the Western Hemisphere. Other scientific synonyms for this
species are Celtis canina Rafinesque and Celtis pumila Pursh.
The common name, Hackberry, is from the Scottish “Hagberry”, which means
“Marshberry”. That is the name for their Bird Cherry (Prunus avium [L.] L.) tree that
grows in their wetlands, called “hags”. Other common names for this species are
American Hackberry, Bastard Elm, Beaverwood, Common Hackberry, False Elm, Hacktree, Hoop Ash, Nettletree, Northern Hackberry, Sugarberry, and Witches’ Broom. This
tree is both fast growing and moderately long-lived.
DESCRIPTION OF THE HACKBERRY
Size:
Height: Its height is 20-130 feet.
Trunk Diameter: Its trunk diameter is 10-54 inches.
Crown: Its crown is open, symmetrical, spreading, rounded, oblong, and broadly
columnar. Its branches are stout, spreading, and arching.
Trunk: Its trunk is both short and straight.
Twigs: Its twigs are slender; zigzag; rounded; smooth; and greenish, gray-brown, or light
red-brown with white lenticels. Its leaf scars are small, crescent-shaped or semi-oval,
slightly raised, and have 1-3 bundle scars. Its pith is small, white, and is finely
diaphragmed or chambered at the nodes.
Buds: Its lateral buds are ¼ inch long, gray to light brown, sessile, ovate, triangular,
acute, hairy, and are appressed against the twig. They have 4-5 sets of 2-ranked scales.
There are no true terminal buds.
Leaves: Its leaves are deciduous, simple, and alternate. They are arranged in 2 horizontal
rows along the branchlets. Each leaf is ovate to oblong lanceolate; 2-7 inches long; 1½2½ inches wide; has a long, narrow, and slightly curved, acuminate tip; an asymmetrical,
rounded or cordated, and toothless base; 3 prominent veins; and singly coarse to sharply
serrated teeth near the upper 2/3 of the margin. They are glossy; papery; dark green,
smooth, or slightly rough above; and are paler, smooth, or slightly hairy below. Its petiole
is slender, about ¾-1 inch long, slightly grooved, and hairy. In the fall these leaves turn
yellow-green to yellow-brown.
A few animal species eat these leaves. The Butterfly larvae of the American Snout
(Libytheana carineta Cramer), the Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis Fabricius),
and the Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis Boisduval & Leconte) all eat these
leaves. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) also eat these leaves.
Flowers: Its male flowers are arranged in small clusters upon hanging stalks at the base
of the annual shoots. Its female flowers are singly arranged at the base of the upper leaves
upon the same shoots as the male flowers. These flowers are either unisexual or bisexual
and are monoecious. Each flower is creamy grayish-green, about ¼ inch wide, and has a
4-5 lobed calyx, and no corolla. The male flowers have 5 stamens and the female flowers
have a 2-lobed style and a single-celled ovary. These flowers are wind-pollinated.
Flowering season is April to May.
Fruits: Its fruits are solitarily arranged upon 1/8-1 inch, slender stems. Each fruit is a ¼3/4 inch long, shiny, spherical drupe with a thick, tough skin and a thin, yellow-orange,
fleshy pulp. They are wrinkled when dry. They are initially greenish but become orangered or brown-purple when ripe. The fruit has 1 hard, pale brown, rounded nutlet seed with
a rough surface. These seeds are dispersed by animals and by water. Fruiting season is
September to November. The fruits remain upon the tree throughout the winter.
These fruits are eaten by many species of birds, such as American Crows (Corvus
brachyrhynchos Brehm), American Robins (Turdus migratorius L.), Brown Thrashers
(Toxostoma rufum L.), Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot), Gray Catbirds
(Dumetella carolinensis L.), Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura L.), Northern
Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus L.), Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos L.), Wild
Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo L.), and Woodpeckers (Family Picidae). The fruits are
also eaten by many species of Mammals (Class Mammalia), such as Fox Squirrels
(Sciurus niger L.), Flying Squirrels (Genus Glaucomys), Gray Foxes (Urocyon
cinereoargenteus Schreber), Mice (Genus Mus), Raccoons (Procyon lotor L.), Striped
Skunks (Mephitis mephitis Schreber), and Virginia Opossums (Didelphis virginiana
Kerr).
Bark: Its young bark is smooth and is light yellow-brown or gray-brown. Its older bark is
scaly and has narrow, dark gray woody and corky knobs, warts, and ridges. This bark is
thin and is susceptible to fire damage.
Wood: Its sapwood is thick, light yellow, greenish gray, or green yellow. Its darker
heartwood is light yellowish gray to light brown. This wood is heavy, weak, soft to
moderately hard, flexible, shock-resistant, ring-porous, and coarse-grained. It has distinct
annual rings. It is subject to rotting when exposed to the elements.
Roots: Its fibrous roots are both deep and widespreading. They may extend down to 20
feet. This species can tolerate droughts.
Habitat: Its habitats consist of woodlands and open places. They may be found along
streams and rivers, in floodplains, and in bottomlands. They are also found in moist,
alkaline-rich upland soils. They can tolerate poor soils. They are rarely found in pure
stands. It is moderately shade tolerant.
Range: Its range covers much of the U.S. from southern New England and Virginia to
the Great Plains and north into southeastern Canada. It is not found in the Deep South
and in the northern Great Lakes.
Pests and Diseases:
Hackberries are susceptible to Eriophyid Gall Mites (Eriophyes celtis Kendall) and
Powdery Mildew Fungi (Sphaerotheca phytoptophila Kellerman & Swingle) that cause
“Witches Brooms”. This distorts, gnarls, and twists branches and twigs but does not kill
the tree. It is more noticeable when the leaves are absent. They also make ideal nesting
sites for Songbirds.
The undersides of the leaves have small, rounded fleshy Nipple Galls, caused by
Hackberry Nipple Gall Psyllids (Pachypsylla celtidismamma [Riley]). The Hackberry
Lace Bug (Corythucha celtides Osborn & Drake) can cause premature yellowing or
browning of the leaves. Unlike other members of the Elm Family, Hackberries are not
affected by the Dutch Elm Disease (Ophiostama ulmi [Buisman] and Ophiostama novoulmi Brasier).
Hackberries have their own defense mechanism. These trees exude a gummy substance
that protects their wounds from infections and from infestations.
Uses:
Hackberry has many different uses. Both the Native Americans and the early European
settlers had uses for this tree.
The fruits are both sweet and edible. The soft, white kernel inside of the hard nutlet
shell is also sweet and edible. These fruits can be eaten straight or can be used to sweeten
other foods. They are most palatable during the late fall and winter and after a few hard,
heavy frosts. The quality and abundance of these fruits depended upon their growing
conditions.
Hackberry has some medicinal uses, too. A decoction of the bark, sometimes mixed
with other ingredients, can be used for treating sore throats, venereal diseases, and
various female disorders.
The wood is used for fuel, fence posts, boxes, crates, pallets, barrel hoops, bows, hoe
handles, sporting goods, plywood, kitchen cabinets, and cheap furniture. Much of the
exposed wood upon the furniture is covered with veneer from other wood species.
The bark is fibrous. It was used for making cordage and sandals.
Hackberry has other uses, too. It is used as an ornamental shade tree because it
tolerates some urban air pollution. It is also used for erosion control, shelterbelts, and
windbreaks.
REFERENCES
FEASTING FREE ON WILD EDIBLES
By Bradford Angier
MICHIGAN TREES
By Burton V. Barnes and Warren H. Wagner, Jr.
AN ECLECTIC GUIDE TO TREES EAST OF THE ROCKIES
By Glen Blouin
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EDIBLE PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA
By Francois Couplan, Ph. D.
THE BOOK OF FOREST AND THICKET
By John Eastman and Amelia Hansen
TREES OF THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES AND CANADA
By John Laird Farrar
TREES OF PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHEAST
By Charles Fergus and Amelia Hansen
EDIBLE WILD PLANTS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA
By Merritt Lyndon Fernald and Alfred Charles Kinsey
TREES OF THE EASTERN AND CENTRAL UNITED STATES AND CANADA
By William M. Harlow
EAT THE WEEDS
By Ben Charles Harris
101 TREES OF INDIANA
By Marion T. Jackson
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION FIELD GUIDE TO TREES OF NORTH AMERICA
By Bruce Kershner, Daniel Mathews, Gil Nelson, and Richard Spellenberg
AUTUMN LEAVES
By Ronald Lanner
TREES OF THE CENTRAL HARDWOOD FORESTS OF NORTH AMERICA
By Donald J. Leopold, William C. McComb, and Robert N. Muller
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN TREES (EASTERN
REGION)
By Elbert L. Little
THE FOLKLORE OF TREES AND SHRUBS
By Laura C. Martin
NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS
By Daniel E. Moerman
A NATURAL HISTORY OF TREES OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA
By Donald Culross Peattie
EDIBLE WILD PLANTS
By Lee Allen Peterson
EASTERN TREES
By George A. Petrides
THE URBAN TREE BOOK
By Arthur Plotnik
THE SIBLEY GUIDE TO TREES
By David Allen Sibley
OHIO TREES
By T. Davis Sydnor and William F. Cowen
THE USES OF WILD PLANTS
By Frank Tozer
WINTER BOTANY
By William Trelease
NATIVE TREES OF THE MIDWEST
By Sally S. Weeks, Harmon P. Weeks, and George R. Parker
BARK: A FIELD GUIDE TO TREES OF THE NORTHEAST
By Michael Wojtech
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_occidentalis