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Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Tree, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FACU, FAC
Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	Yes
Fall Conspicuous	Yes
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Green
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Coarse
Fruit/Seed Color	Purple
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Single Stem
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	26
Height, Mature (feet)	70
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None
Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	Medium
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	Medium
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	90
Hedge Tolerance	Medium
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	7.8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	170
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	300
Precipitation, Minimum	14
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	36
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Intermediate
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-38
Reproduction
Bloom Period	Mid Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	Yes
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	43000
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None
Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	Medium
Lumber Product	Yes
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	Yes
Palatable Browse Animal	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Tree, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FACU, FAC
Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	Yes
Fall Conspicuous	Yes
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	Green
Flower Conspicuous	No
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Coarse
Fruit/Seed Color	Purple
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	No
Growth Form	Single Stem
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	25
Height, Mature (feet)	50
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	Yes
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None
Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	Medium
CaCO3 Tolerance	Medium
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	High
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	90
Hedge Tolerance	Medium
Moisture Use	Low
pH, Minimum	6
pH, Maximum	7.8
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	170
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	300
Precipitation, Minimum	14
Precipitation, Maximum	32
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	36
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Intermediate
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-38
Reproduction
Bloom Period	Mid Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	High
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	Yes
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	43000
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	None
Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	Medium
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	Yes
Palatable Browse Animal	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass  Hamamelididae

Order  Urticales

Family  Ulmaceae -- Elm family

Genus  Celtis L. -- hackberry P

Species  Celtis occidentalis L. -- common hackberry P

 

Alternate Names

American hackberry, beaverwood, Celtis canina, Celtis occidentalis ssp. tenuifolia, Celtis occidentalis var. crassifolia, Celtis occidentalis var. georgiana, Celtis occidentalis var. integrifolia, Celtis occidentalis var. pumila, Celtis pumila, Celtis pumila var. georgiana, Celtis tenuifolia, false elm, hackberry, nettle tree, northern hackberry, sugar berry.

 

Uses

Erosion control: Common hackberry is included in windbreak plantings to control wind erosion.  Additionally, its deep root system makes common hackberry useful for preventing soil erosion on disturbed sites.

 

Ethnobotanic: Native Americans valued common hackberry for medicinal, food, and ceremonial purposes.  Medicinally, the bark was decocted to serve as a gynecological aid that could induce abortion, regulate menstrual cycles, and treat venereal diseases.  Bark decoctions were also taken for sore throats. 

 

The drupes of common hackberry were mixed with fat and corn to form porridge or crushed to add flavor to foods.  They were also pounded into a paste, molded onto a stick and baked over an open fire.

 

Common hackberry was used as the fuel source for the altar fire at peyote ceremonies, prayer ceremonies that utilized the hallucinogenic peyote cactus.  At the beginning of each of the four stages of the ceremony, the altar fire was replenished with common hackberry wood.

 

Ornamental: Although the features of common hackberry are not considered attractive, it is commonly used as a street tree because of its ability to withstand drought and tolerate urban environments.  Common hackberry is also a bonsai species.

 

Wildlife: Wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant, quail, grouse, lesser prairie chicken, cedar waxwing, robins, and other bird species consume common hackberry fruit, which persist throughout the winter.  Small mammals also consume the fruit.  Deer will browse common hackberry leaves in the absence of preferred browse species.  Common hackberry provides good cover for species such as mule deer, white-tailed deer, upland game birds, small non-game birds, and small mammals.

 

Wood products: Common hackberry is most commonly used as firewood.  It is not valuable as a timber tree, but is sometimes used to produce inexpensive furniture.  Its wood quality is comparable to that of elm and white ash.

 

Legal Status

Common hackberry is listed as threatened in New Hampshire.  Please consult the PLANTS Web site (https://plants.usda.gov) and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Description

General: Elm Family (Ulmaceae). Common hackberry is a large deciduous tree reaching 12 m to 18 m in height at maturity.  It typically lives to be 150 to 200 years old and exhibits its greatest annual growth between 20 and 40 years of age. The bark is grayish and warty, and stems have a zigzag appearance.   The branches tend to droop, giving mature trees a cylindrical shape and the appearance of even and equal spread of branches.  Leaves are alternately arranged, simple, 7 to 12 cm long, and sharply toothed.  They are dark green above, paler beneath, have asymmetrical leaf bases (oblique), and sometimes have a rough texture.  Flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and emerge in April and May with the leaves.  Fruit are small greenish drupes that change to dark red or black upon maturity in September and October.

 

Distribution: Common hackberry is native to the United States.  It occurs from Maine and Quebec, west to North Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado, and south to Texas and Georgia.  For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site (https://plants.usda.gov).

 

Habitat: Common hackberry is the dominant species of the green ash-western snowberry plant communities in Nebraska and South Dakota and in the plains cottonwood-western snowberry communities in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.  Although it is primarily a bottomland species, it is also found within upland communities on slopes and bluffs, limestone outcrops, and rocky hillsides.

 

Adaptation

The USDA hardiness zones of common hackberry are 2 thru 9.  Although it is difficult to determine, it is considered a late-succession or climax species because it grows well in deep shade.  Seedlings are found beneath heavy canopies, where other species cannot survive. 

 

Common hackberry is able to grow in a variety of sites and soil types.  Although it grows best in moist soils near stream banks and on flood plains, it will grow on dry, less fertile soils.  Annual height growth will decrease in drier soils.  Common hackberry can also survive long periods of drought due to its deep root system.  It will not occur on sites with a permanently high water table, but mature trees can survive periods of excessive flooding. 

 

In the most favorable soil conditions, growth can exceed 0.4 m per year within the first 6 years of planting.  In poor dry sites, growth is slow (less than 2.5 cm per year) and some common hackberry plants appear shrub-like.  It prefers limestone soils and is not tolerant of salt spray or soils with a pH greater than 8.

 

Management

Common hackberry is susceptible to frost damage in the northern portions of its range.  For this reason, it is best to plant it in the second or third row of either the windward or leeward half of windbreaks.

 

A few studies indicate that fire suppresses growth and regeneration of common hackberry.  Seedlings will not emerge in sunlight provided by a newly opened canopy.  Low intensity fires will injure trees or reduce their reproductive potential while high intensity fires may kill some trees.  Wounds caused by fire attract insects or fungi that can pose more problems for the plant.

 

Pests and Potential Problems

Insect and fungal infestations make common hackberry plants unattractive, but generally do not kill them.  Common hackberry is host to gall-producing insects including the hackberry petiole gall psylid, hackberry nipplegall maker, hackberry bud gall maker, and the hackberry blistergall psyllid (all in the genus Pachypsylla).

 

Leaf spot fungi frequently occur on common hackberry trees.  More damaging is the witches’ broom disease that causes rosette formation on branch tips.  Witches’ broom is initiated by the combined infestation of a gall mite and powdery mildew.  Fungal infection by oak fungus (Armillaria mellea) causes root rot on injured trees, leading to death.

 

Seeds and Plant Production

Common hackberry seeds are ready for collection in September and October.  They can be dried to less than 5% moisture content and remain viable throughout long storage periods.  One study showed no loss in viability following 5.5 years in sealed storage at 10^oC.  Seeds will germinate at 21^oC following 60 to 90 days of cold stratification at 5^oC.  Germination may increase with sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) application.  Treat seeds with concentrated H₂SO₄ for one hour, wash with water, and treat for another hour in H₂SO₄.

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

The USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program has released ‘Oahe’ for urban plantings in North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

 

Other cultivars available from commercial sources include ‘Magnifica,’ ‘Prairie Pride,’ and ‘Chicagoland.’ These cultivars were developed for plant shape, straighter trunks, drought resistance, salt tolerance, and adaptation to compacted soils.

 

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information.  Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.”  The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

 

References

Agricultural Research Center. 2004. GRIN taxonomy (https://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/index, 9 June 2004). USDA, Beltsville.

 

Baskin, C.J., J.M. Baskin. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of container Celtis occidentalis L. plants.  (https://www.nativeplant network.org, 9 June 2004). College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow.

 

Brand, M. 2001. University of Connecticut plant database  (https://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/, 9 June 2004). University of Connecticut, Storrs.

 

Chester, E.W. 2004. Celtis occidentalis. (https://tenn.bio.utk.edu/ vascular/vascular.html, 9 June 2004). University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

 

Floridata. 2004. Plant encyclopedia (https://floridata.com, 9 June 2004). Floridata Marketplace, Tallahassee.

 

Gilman, E.F. and D.G. Watson. 1993. Celtis occidentalis (common hackberry). Fact Sheet ST-140. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville.

 

Gilmore, M.R. 1913. Some native Nebraska plants with their uses by the Dakota. Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society 17: 358-370.

 

Heatley, R. 1999. Ornamental plants plus, Version 3.0 (https://www.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/ masterzz.html, 9 June 2004). Michigan State University Extension, East Lansing.

 

Herrick, J.W. 1977. Iroquois medical botany. State University of New York, Albany.

 

Illinois State Museum. 2003. Celtis occidentalis (https://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/htmls/tree/C-occidentalis.html, 9 June 2004). Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Springfield.

 

Lindstrom, J.T. 2003. Celtis occidentalis (https://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/cotinus/plants4_html/celtocci.html, 9 June 2004). Horticulture 3103 Summary Sheet. Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

 

McLemore, B.F. 1990. Silvics of North America: conifers and hardwoods (https://www.na.fs.fed.us/ spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm, 9 June 2004) Agriculture Handbook 654. USDA Forest Service, Washington D.C.

 

Rhodes, T. 2002. Plant Facts (https://plantfacts.osu.edu, June 9 2004). Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus.

 

Rosario, L.C. 1988. Celtis occidentalis. (https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/, 9 June 2004). Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Missoula.

 

Smith, H.H. 1928. Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki Indians. Bulletin of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4: 175-326.

 

Speck, F.G. 1941. A list of plant curatives obtained from the Houma Indians of Louisiana. Primitive Man 14: 49-75.

 

Swank, G.R. 1932. The Ethnobotany of the Acoma and Laguna Indians. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

 

Tweddle, J.C., R.M. Turner, and J.B. Dickie. 2003. Seed Information Database, Release 5.0 (https://www.kew.org/data/sid/, 9 June 2004). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

 

Vestal, P.A. and R.E. Schultes. 1939. The economic botany of the Kiowa Indians. Botanical Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge.

 

Virginia Tech Forestry Department. 2003. Dendrology tree fact sheets (https://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/factsheets.cfm, 9 June 2004). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg.

 

Wunderlin, R.P., and B.F. Hansen. 2003. Atlas of Florida vascular plants (https://www.plantatlas.usf.edu, 9 June 2004). Institute of Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

 

Prepared By:

Sarah Wennerberg

Formerly USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

Species Coordinator:

Mark Skinner

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 

Edited: 23June2004 sbw; 20Oct2004 rln; 05jun06 jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture