Hackberry, Sugarberry

Celtis laevigata Willd.

CELL-tus lev-ee-GAY-tuh

Ulmaceae

Explanation of name: Celtis is a Greek name for a tree with sweet fruit (BA1). Laevigata means smooth or slippery.

Natural range: Central-southern U.S., including Florida

Recognition: Potentially large tree with gray more or less warty bark, oblong-lanceolate leaves having coarsely serrate to entire margins, and pea-sized fruits bearing large stones

Landscape uses: An infrequently cultivated, fast-growing, deciduous tree of interest for native plantings. Susceptible to mechanical damage and to breakage (UFST138)