North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Celtis laevigata

Celtis laevigata Willd.

southern hackberry, sugarberry

Image ID: 13517
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: CELA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Celtis laevigata
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-11-30

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: CELTI
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Celtis
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Hackberry
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 100 species, trees, shrubs, and woody vines, widespread in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions worldwide.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Henrickson (2010)=Y; Whittemore in Yatskievych (2013)=Mo; Todzia in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Key based in part on Mo.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ULMACE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Ulmaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: De Mirbel 1815
FAMILY COMMON: Elm Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: As here circumscribed (excluding Celtis and relatives), a family of 6-7 genera and about 35 species, of temperate, subtropical, and boreal Northern Hemisphere, rarely extending into the Southern Hemisphere). Zavada & Kim (1996) discuss compelling reasons to remove Celtis from the Ulmaceae.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Sherman-Broyles, Barker, & Schulz in FNA (1997); Zavada & Kim (1996); Todzia in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). [also see CANNABACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: A medium to large-sized deciduous tree, usually 20–30 m (65–100 ft.) tall when mature. Older twigs have chambered pith, which sometimes becomes hollow. Bark is usually light gray and smooth, but often bears a few scattered to many warty outgrowths. Leaves are alternate, typically small to medium sized (6–8 cm long), usually twice as long wide, with a long-pointed tip. Leaves are usually lanceolate, ovate or oval shaped, and often curve to one side. Leaf margins are mostly untoothed, but a few (rarely many) small teeth may be present. Leaves bear 3 prominent veins that branch from the base of the leaf blade. Flowers occur in small clusters, with functionally unisexual female and male flowers on the same tree, occasionally with male and females flowers combined. Fruits are small (0.4–0.9 cm long) drupes that are usually orangish-red in color, sometimes purple. Southern Hackberry occurs most commonly in bottomland forests of the Piedmont, where it often grows along the edges of rivers and streams.
STEMS: Pith chambered or continuous or hollow. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) brown or green or reddish-brown, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Twigs (2–4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars crescent-shaped or oval, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars inconspicuous. Bark of mature trunks ridged or smooth or warty. Buds axillary, brown or reddish-brown, 1.5–3.2 mm long, ovoid, sharp, pubescent, puberulent, bud scales imbricate.
LEAVES: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate, distichous, (4–)6–8(–15) cm long, (1.1–)3–4(–6) cm wide, falcate or lanceolate or oval or ovate, leaf margins entire or dentate or serrate or ciliate, leaf apices acuminate or acute or caudate, leaf bases cuneate or oblique or obtuse or rounded. Leaf upper surface green or yellow-green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface green or yellow-green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf venation palmate. Petioles 0.6–1.3 cm long, glabrous. Stipules present, caducous.
INFLORESCENCE: Inflorescences axillary, fascicles or flowers solitary, flowers sessile or stalked.
FLOWERS: Flowers unisexual or pistillate or staminate, hypogynous. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, aposepalous. Sepals 4–6 per flower, green, lanceolate or ovate, glabrous or pubescent, puberulent, persistent. Corolla absent. Androecium. Stamens 4–6 per flower, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 2 per pistil, placentation apical.
FRUITS: Fruits drupes, 0.4–0.9 cm long, brown or orange or purple or red or yellow, fruit maturation 1 years.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 65–100 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub, Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: March, April, or May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
					x

FRUITING PERIOD: Aug-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Disturbed, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Southern hackberry is distinguished by its unusual, corky bark with warty protuberances. It produces abundant reddish-purple drupes in the fall which birds relish. Southern hackberry prefers a moist but well-drained sandy or clay loam soil, but it will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions and is well suited to growing in an urban environment. Several species of moth and butterflies rely on this tree species as a larval host and nectar source.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 5
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 10
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Butterfly Friendly, Bird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
806	1985-0466			View
3829	1991-0524			View
4488	1992-0644			View
4916	1995-0034			View
5083	1995-0202			View
5866	1995-0994			View
6011	1995-1142			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1536	806	241	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1537	806	1	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1538	806	153	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1539	806	176	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1540	806	177	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
6138	3829	199	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
6816	4488	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7335	4916	202	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7502	5083	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8381	5866	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8642	6011	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: CELA
USDA Common Name: Sugarberry
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WY)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACW		FAC		FACW	FAC		FACW		FACW

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Celtis laevigata
COMMON NAME: Southern Hackberry, Sugarberry
SYNONYMY: [< C. laevigata - C, FNA, G, GW, K2, RAB, Va, W, WH3; = C. laevigata var. laevigata - F, Mo; = C. mississippiensis Bosc - S]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-May; Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: Bottomland forests, especially on natural levees, upland calcareous forests and woodlands, shell middens.
COMMENTS: MD, WV, IN, IL, MO and KS south to s. FL and TX.
RANGE MAP: Celtis laevigata.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Ulmaceae De Mirbel 1815 (Elm Family)
SUMMARY: As here circumscribed (excluding Celtis and relatives), a family of 6-7 genera and about 35 species, of temperate, subtropical, and boreal Northern Hemisphere, rarely extending into the Southern Hemisphere). Zavada & Kim (1996) discuss compelling reasons to remove Celtis from the Ulmaceae.
REFERENCE: Sherman-Broyles, Barker, & Schulz in FNA (1997); Zavada & Kim (1996); Todzia in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). [also see CANNABACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Celtis L. (Hackberry)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 100 species, trees, shrubs, and woody vines, widespread in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions worldwide.
REFERENCE: Henrickson (2010)=Y; Whittemore in Yatskievych (2013)=Mo; Todzia in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Key based in part on Mo.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Celtis laevigata in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Celtis laevigata in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Celtis laevigata in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Celtis laevigata in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Celtis laevigata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Celtis laevigata

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 13517 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 13517 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 13516 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 13519 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)