Hackberry
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 Celtis caucasica with immature fruit | ||||||||||||
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Hackberry Celtis is a genus of about 60-70 species of deciduous trees widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in southern Europe, southern and eastern Asia, and southern and central North America, and south to central Africa. They are generally medium-sized trees, reaching 10-25 m tall, rarely up to 40 m tall.
Previously included either in the elm family Ulmaceae or their own family the Celtidaceae, genetic analysis by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has shown they are best placed in the hemp family Cannabaceae.
The leaves are alternate, simple, 3-15 cm long, ovate-acuminate, and evenly serrated margins.
Small monoecious flowers appear in early spring while the leaves are still developing. Male flowers are longer and fuzzy. Female flowers are greenish and more rounded.
The fruit is a small drupe 6-10 mm diameter, edible in many species, with a dryish but sweet, sugary consistency, reminiscent of a date.
Several species are grown as ornamental trees, valued for their drought tolerance.
- Selected species
- Celtis africana – White Stinkwood
- Celtis australis – European Hackberry
- Celtis bungeana – Bunge's Hackberry
- Celtis caucasica – Caucasian Hackberry
- Celtis integrifolia – African Hackberry
- Celtis jessoensis – Japanese Hackberry
- Celtis koraiensis – Korean Hackberry
- Celtis labilis – Hubei Hackberry
- Celtis laevigata – Southern Hackberry or Sugar Hackberry or Sugarberry
- Celtis occidentalis – Common Hackberry
- Celtis reticulata – Netleaf Hackberry
- Celtis sinensis – Chinese Hackberry
- Celtis tala – Tala
- Celtis tenuifolia – Dwarf Hackberry
- Celtis tournefortii – Oriental Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
Southern Hackberry or 'Sugarberry' (Celtis laevigata)
Celtis integrifolia in Senegal
European Hackberry (Celtis australis) from Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (1885)
