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Hackberry

Celtis laevigata

Other common name(s):

Sugarberry

Family:

Cannabaceae (Hemp Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Stockton Plateau
Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

60
to
80
ft.

Spread

20
to
30
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Caliche, Well Drained

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low, Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Green

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Berry, Fall Color, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds

Maintenance

Prune only as needed to remove weak limbs or to raise canopy for walkways. Galls that form on leaves are not harmful to the tree. Add mulch to improve drought tolerance, fertility. Propagation: Seed, Sucker transplant, Softwood cuttings.

Comments

Can be an attractive shade tree, shallow rooted, fast growing; can live to 150 years. Among the best food and shelter plants for wildlife. Favorite feeding stop for birds. Larval Host; Hackberry Emperor and American Snout, Morning Cloak, Question Mark butterflies. Replaces Invasives: Chinaberry.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CELA. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Celtis+laevigata&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=7090&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48, 52. 6) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 333. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=19042#null

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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