The sugarberry tree of the South is known elsewhere as sugar hackberry, Texas sugarberry, or lowland hackberry. A member of the Elm family, it's cloaked in soft, smooth bark with wart-like protrusions, and it bears delicious, sweet drupes around August and September. Spreading, drooping branches form a broad crown with pale green foliage and orange-red to purple berries. Its canopy is frequently parasitized by mistletoe. Sugar hackberry is often found in open woodlands near streams and river banks because it requires a large amount of water. It will adapt to loamy clay, sandy, or rocky soils and needs at least six hours of full sun but also tolerates part shade. It grows between 50 and almost 100 feet tall, lives up to 150 years, and is listed as endangered in the state of Ohio. It's one of three species of Celtis native to our area and is found as far north as southwestern Ohio, although there may be more specimens that have been overlooked. According to ODNR, because sugar hackberry adapts to various site conditions and can be mistaken for common hackberry, additional populations may be found, especially near the Ohio River Valley. ODNR suggests that, because of climate change, this species may move further north.
The berries have been prized for their sweetness since ancient times, although the high-growing treats don't make it easy for hungry foragers. The berries, which are high in calcium and phosphorus, have a high amount of fat and fiber and also contain a decent amount of protein. Native Americans used them in various ways, including grinding the entire berry, which includes a large stone, and making a paste that was cooked with fat and parched corn to make a gruel.
Native habitats include rich, alluvial soils of floodplains; poorly drained bottomlands; and mesic woods. Good for use along streets, in parking lots or native gardens, and as a shade tree. It can be pruned and kept at shrub size by cutting to the ground every 2-3 years. May be affected by hackberry nipple gall, which doesn't cause serious damage, and scale, which can be managed by horticultural oil sprays.
Plant Characteristics:
Grows 50-80' or up to 98' tall and wide.
Grows in full sun (6+ hours) or part shade.
Prefers moist, well-drained sandy, loamy, or rocky soils. Adapts to clay. Tolerates periodic flooding and drought, salt, poor soils, and soil compaction.
Green flowers appear in April/May, just before or with the leaves. Drupes have thick skins with a netlike pattern.
Alternate, simple leaves are 2-4" long with slightly serrated margins. They gradually taper to a point that's often curved, and the leaves have 3 main conspicuous veins. Fall color is yellow.
Light gray bark is smooth and lightly or heavily decorated with corky warts. Young branchlets are covered with short hairs, eventually becoming smooth.
Wildlife Value:
Host plant for larvae of specialist hackberry emperor and American snout butterflies and ruddy dagger moth. Mature individuals regularly produce abundant soft mast that is highly preferred by birds. Song birds eat the fruits and use the tree as a nesting area. Moderately deer resistant.
Medicinal, Edible, and Other Uses:
The Houma used a concentrate made from the bark to treat sore throats and a decoction made from the bark and groundup shells to treat venereal disease.
Native Americans ate the pulp on its own or along with the stone, which could also be stored in oil. The outer shell was ground up and used as a spice, often on meat.
The wood is used to make furniture, athletic equipment, plywood, flooring, and posts.
Resources:
Eat the Weeds
: https://www.eattheweeds.com/sugarberries-hackberries-with-a-southern-accent-2/
Native Plant Society of Texas
: https://www.npsot.org/posts/plant-of-the-month-sugar-hackberry/
North Carolina Extension
:
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/celtis-laevigata/
ODNR
: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/flowering-plants/sugarberry
USDA
: https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_cela.pdf
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