Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Celtis Laevigata

Size:

50' tall by as wide, up to 80' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 2"-4" long and narrower than hackberry, with surfaces smooth above and not hairy beneath, crown leaves with no teeth or only a few near the tip, juvenile leaves often toothed; light green

Flowers:

inconspicuous

Fruit:

1/4" diameter berry-like fruit (called a drupe), reddish orange to dark red, edible, sweet, loved by birds

Fall Interest:

yellow; deciduous

Culture:

sun to partial sun; moist to wet, rich soil; very adaptable

Disease/Insect:

Asian wooly hackberry aphid

Use:

shade tree, parking lot island, median, rarely planted (weak-wooded); useful to wildlife; crating, furniture

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark smooth and light gray developing warty projections with age; distinctive gray, warty branches; Native Americans pounded the fruits and used them to sweeten foods such as meats and corn cakes; native to Arkansas