Hackberry – Celtis occidentalis

 

Nomenclature:

  • Celtis occidentalis
  • Family: Ulmaceae

 

Botany and Ecology:

  • Tree height: 25’- 40’
  • Tree diameter: 1’- 4’
  • Leaves are broad, flat, simple, not lobed, and have double teeth
  • Red fruit contain pits and are spaced loosely
  • Clusters of twigs form on the branches caused by disease
  • Grows in rich ad moist soil but also can grow in a variety of soils including rocky hillsides
  • Distribution:
    • United States: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA ,IA, ID, IL, IN KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY
    • Canada: MB, ON, QC

 

Uses:

  • Edible:
    • Fruit has a sweet and pleasant taste
  • Medicinal:
    • Extract from wood used to treat jaundice
  • Other:
    • Cheap furniture, veneer, fencing, fuel, etc.

 

Conservation:

 

Markets and Vendors:

 

 

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