| Common Name |
Western Hackberry, Common Hackberry |
| Latin Name |
Celtis occidentalis |
| Family |
Ulmaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
1-3, 10-13 / 8-10 |
| Type / Form |
Treee / Medium |
| Native Habitat |
Deserts below 6,000 feet from California to Texas and
south into Mexico |
| Soil |
Dry to moist, decomposed granite, clay loam, limestone,
low to some organic content, well drained, will grow in grass, does not
mind foot traffic around its base |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Water |
Once or twice per month in hot dry weather |
| Height X Width |
45 feet x 50 feet maximum |
| Protective Mechanism |
None |
| Leaves |
Green, winter deciduous |
| Flowers |
Monoecious; very small (1/8
inch), light green, produced on stalks from new leaf axils. Each flower
with a 4 or 5 lobed calyx, appearing in spring. |
| Bark / Roots |
Smooth and gray-brown when young, soon developing
corky, individual "warts" which later develop into rough corky,
irregular ridges. Twigs slender,
zigzag, light red-brown with numerous lighter lenticels; terminal bud is
lacking, but a pseudoterminal bud is present. Lateral buds are small,
tan, triangular, and appressed, pith is often chambered at the nodes.
|
| Maintenance |
Little |
| Propagation |
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame.
Stored seed is best given 2 - 3 months cold stratification and then sown
February/March in a greenhouse. Germination rates are usually good,
though the stored seed might take 12 months or more to germinate. The
seed can be stored for up to 5 years. As soon as they are large enough
to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. The leaves of
seedlings often have a lot of white patches without chlorophyll, this is
normal and older plants produce normal green leaves. Grow the seedlings
on in a cold frame for their first winter, and plant them out in the
following late spring or early summer. Give them some protection from
the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings |
| Pests and Diseases |
Foliage (leaf spot, nipple gall, chlorosis) and twig
(witches' broom) cosmetic diseases are sometimes present |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, low maintenance, windbreak, background, parkways |
| Garden Suitability |
Thornless, Songbird, Butterfly, Ethnobotanical |
| Ornamental Value |
Attracts songbirds in fall and winter, good shade tree,
small green flowers in spring |
| Nature Value |
Winter fruits eaten by songbirds, game birds, and other
animals, larval plant for butterflies, cover for quail, erosion control |
| Native American Uses |
Dry berries ground for food |
| Links |
|
| Images and data: |
http://www.ipm.uconn.edu/Plants/c/celocc/celocc1.html |
| Images and data: |
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/ce_talis.html |
| Images and data: |
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/CELOCCA.pdf |
| Images and data: |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=26 |
| Images and data: |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_occidentalis |
| Images and data: |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ceoc |
| Images and data: |
http://hcs.osu.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/ce_talis.html |
| Images and data: |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/37946/ |
| Images and data: |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Ulmaceae/Celtis_reticulata.html |
| Data: |
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/celtis/occidentalis.htm |
| Data: |
http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/celtis_o.cfm |
| Data: |
www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Celtis+occidentalis |
| Distribution map: |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CEOC |
| Distribution map: |
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500334 |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |