Practical
Plants

Celtis tenuifolia

Small Hackberry

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Ulmaceae
Genus
Celtis
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
4.5 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw. Sweet but thin fleshed[6]. The thin flesh has a sweet, mealy pleasant taste[K]. The fruit is small, up to 10mm in diameter, with a single large seed[82, K]. The trees often produce large crops of fruit in Britain, but there is so little that is edible on each fruit that it is scarcely worthwhile[K].

Plant part
Fruit

Material uses

Wood - very tough, pliable, durable. Of no commercial value[7]. The flexible thin shoots are used as walking sticks, the wood is also an excellent fuel.

Environment

Range
Western N. America - Colorado, Utah.
Habitat
Dry rocky or gravelly soils in foothills and bluffs[7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[4]. Stored seed is best given 2 - 3 months cold stratification and then sown February/March in a greenhouse[8][4]. 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[3]. 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[K]. Give them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings

Cultivation

Succeeds in any reasonably good soil, preferring a good fertile well-drained loamy soil[1][2][4]. Succeeds on dry gravels and on sandy soils[4]. Established plants are very drought resistant[4]. Trees prefer hotter summers and more sunlight than are normally experienced in Britain, they often do not fully ripen their wood when growing in this country and they are then very subject to die-back in winter[1][2][4]. This species is very closely related to C. occidentalis, and it is considered to be no more than a sub-species by many authorities[4]. Trees can be very long-lived, perhaps surviving for 1000 years in the wild[4]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  5. Livingstone. B. Flora of Canada National Museums of Canada 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-660-00025-3

  6. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩

  7. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2

  8. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

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