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Common name: Hackberry
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Latin name: Celtis
occidentalis Common name: Hackberry |
Common
hackberry is a member of the Elm Family (Ulmaceae). It is a large deciduous tree reaching
12 m to 18 m in height at maturity. It typically lives to be 150 to 200 years old and
exhibits its greatest annual growth between 20 and 40 years of age. The branches tend
to droop, giving mature trees a cylindrical shape and the appearance of even and equal
spread of branches
The bark of the hackberry has corky projections and is often called "warty". This texture
is generally on the trunk and branches.
Celtis
occidentalis has an alternate brancing pattern. There is no terminal bud and the branches
usually are formed in a zig-zag pattern. It is apparently uncommon for twigs to be as
straight as this one.
The photos above show a condition that is commonly called
witches'-broom. It is characterized by a dense clustering of twigs. The cause of witches'-broom
is not known for certain, but it is thought that it caused the interaction of an eriophyid
mite and a powdery mildew fungus. These photographs are on a tree in parking lot 21,
near the end of a row close to theThornhill building. The tree is identified as Celtis
occidentalis 'Windy City'.
Hackberries
are native to the flood plains of the eastern United States.The fruit of the hackberry is a small berry that ripens in September or October. I did see some fruit on trees on December 30, 2008, but was so involved in taking photos of the flooding that I neglected to photograph the berries.
Be sure to look at my page for Celtis laevigata - Sugarberry which is closely related to the Hackberry. That page does include photographs of fruit.
| Kingdom: Plantae -- Plants | |||||||||
| Subkingdom: Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants | |||||||||
| Superdivision: Spermatophyta -- Seed plants | |||||||||
| Division: Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants | |||||||||
| Class: Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons | |||||||||
| Subclass: Hamamelididae | |||||||||
| Order: Urticales | |||||||||
| Family: Ulmaceae -- Elm family | |||||||||
| Genus: Celtis L. -- hackberry | |||||||||
| Species: Celtis occidentalis L. -- common hackberry | |||||||||
References:
Ohio State University - http://hcs.osu.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/ce_talis.html
USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 1 January 2009). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. Celtis occidentalis Plant profile page.
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