Celtis laevigata

Sugarberry, Hackberry
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Normally grows to 60-80' tall and wide, but occasionally gets about 80' tall and 40' wide. Growth habit is rounded to broad-rounded, with spreading, upright arching branches that are somewhat pendulous. Medium to fast rate of growth. Medium lifespan, often 100-200 years.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Inhabits flood plains, bottomlands and sloughs, often in heavy clay soil. Native from Virginia to southern Indiana, Illinois to Texas and Florida, including Kentucky.

Flower and Fruit Details

Monoecious to polygamo-monoecious, greenish spring flowers in April-May are not showy, and are barely even noticeable. Male flowers in clusters; female flowers solitary. Fruit is orange-red to blue-black, edible, but mostly seed, very sweet and juicy, resembling the taste of dates. Relished by songbirds. Fruits usually are abundant. Described as fleshy, 1/3", September-October, rounded, berry-like drupes

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves are simple, alternate, oblong-lanceolate to oval in shape, smooth-margined (entire), or lightly toothed, dark green above, lighter green beneath, thin, 2-4" long and 1.25" across, long-acuminate at the tip. Petiole is 1/2-3/4" long. Maintains its clean foliage quite well. Fall foliage color is yellow. Smooth, beech-like, silver-gray bark, mostly lacking the wart-like projections and rough texture found on the common hackberry.

Culture and Care

Urban-tolerant and compaction-tolerant. Also tolerates poor soils, including clay soils. Zones 5-9. Needs full sun to part shade. Does well in medium to wet soils, but is also drought-tolerant. Wind-tolerant. Resistant to witches' broom disease/disorder, which is prevalent on the common hackberry. Leaf spots, lacebugs, mites, scales and hackberry nipple galls are possible problems, though usually not serious. Bark injuries may lead to trunk decay.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 3-season interest: Spring, summer and fall. "Laevigata" means smooth, like the smooth, gray bark and the edges of the leaves, unlike the rough bark and sawtooth leaf edges of Common Hackberry.

Suggested Uses

Use as street tree, shade tree in parks & landscapes, sites with poor soils & tough conditions, i.e., around malls and parking lots. Also for rain gardens, as a reclamation plant, or bonsai.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA

The following taxa are (or were) represented in the collections at Boone County Arboretum. Additional taxa may be available in the trade that are not included here.

  • Celtis laevigata 'All Seasons' // All Seasons Sugarberry, Hackberry
    Tree. Has a full crown with dense foliage, well-balanced, fine-textured, with small, glossy green leaves that reliably turn bright yellow in the fall. Very smooth, gray, beech-like bark. Grows very well, even under adverse conditions. Light green foliage. Leaves have a longer, more slender tip than on the species. Hardy to -25 degrees F. Zone 5-10. Forms a broad, rouinded, very uniform crown. Gets 45' tall and 30' wide. Does not shed twigs like the species, so is a neater, cleaner tree producing less litter. The gray-brown to silvery bark is generally smooth, with a few wart-like projections.
    BT001509