HACKBERRY
Celtis occidentalis
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The hackberry grows wild in Massachusetts, but it is found rarely and is generally mistaken for an elm. It grows commonly in lowland woods in Western New York and the Middle States, and it can be identified both in winter and summer by the white chambered pith, which is found by cutting a stem of recent growth. The dried fruit, which hangs on the stems through the winter, is also another means of recognizing the tree,—this berry-like fruit can be seen in the photograph which I took as late in the deciduous season as April thirteenth. It is a round-headed tree with a short trunk and usually a broad spread of branches, but in the basin of the Ohio River it grows to be a tall and stately tree.
The wood is heavy and coarsely grained, and is used for fences and for making cheap furniture.
The generic name, Celtis, is the ancient Greek name for the lotus berry; and the specific name, occidentalis (belonging to the west), designates its American origin.
Chapter IX
THE BUTTONWOOD, THE TUPELO, AND THE MULBERRIES
The Buttonwood, showing the hollow base of the leafstalk which covers the bud until the leaf falls.