Celtis occidentalis
Object Details
- Description
- The common hackberry is a fruiting tree which grows across most of the US and parts of Canada. Various Native American tribes harvested the fruit for food, and used its bark medicinally.
- It is Threatened in New Hampshire.
- Hardiness
- -50 - 30 F
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Bloom Time
- April to May
- Ethnobotanical Uses
- Berries used for food by some Native Americans.
- Medicinal / Pharmaceutical
- Bark decoction was used by some Native Americans to induce abortion, regulate menstrual cycles, and treat venereal diseases. Bark decoctions were also taken for sore throats.
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Range
- Central to E North America
- Habitat
- Riparian deciduous forests and oak-hickory forests, 0-1800 meters
- Topic
- Trees
- Living Collections
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection
- On Display
- Anacostia Community Museum
- Data Source
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Accession Number
- 2019-0273A
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Common Name
- American Hackberry
- Common Hackberry
- Hackberry
- American False Elm
- Beaver Wood
- Nettle Tree
- Rim Ash
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Rosanae
- Order
- Rosales
- Family
- Cannabaceae
- Genus
- Celtis
- Species
- occidentalis
- Life Form
- Deciduous tree
- Average Height
- 40-60'
- Bark Characteristics
- Mature: gray, with corky ridges and warty texture
- Bloom Characteristics
- Male flowers grow in clusters, female flowers grow solitarily.
- Fall Color
- Yellow
- Foliage Characteristics
- Ovate to oblong-ovate, glossy to dull green leaves have uneven bases, a sharp point, and are coarsely toothed. 2-5" long.
- Fruit Characteristics
- Fruit is .25" to .33" in diameter, oval to somewhat round, dark red to purple, and ripens in September and October. Fruit wil remain on tree for several months.
- Structure
- Round, spreading
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2019-0273A
