Remarks.—The wood is yellowish-white and before seasoning very much resembles ash for which it was generally sold. It has good bending qualities and is now much sought after for hoops. It was formerly often known as hoop ash. The supply is now becoming scarce, but when bought sells for the same price as good white elm.
Some writers include under the name Celtis occidentalis only those forms which are small trees and have ovate, short-pointed leaves. This type of tree has not been found in Indiana. The form with long acuminate pointed leave which is the common form in our area, is regarded as a variety of Celtis occidentalis. Trees having the upper surface of the leaves very rough are called Celtis crassifolia Lamarck, or are merely regarded as a variety of Celtis occidentalis. This form is found throughout our area.
The hackberry is sometimes used as a shade tree. It can scarcely be recommended because its leaves and twigs are often affected by galls which detract from its appearance.
CELTIS PUMILA var. DEAMII Sargent. Dwarf Hackberry. (× 1/2.)
2. Celtis pùmila (Muhlenberg) Pursh. Dwarf Hackberry. Plate 62. Bark thin, smooth and gray on shrub-like forms, warty or deeply fissured on the larger forms; ridges flat and broken, dark gray-brown; twigs at first hairy, becoming smooth or nearly so by autumn; leaves of an ovate type, broadly-ovate, oblong-ovate to narrow ovate, on petioles 0.5-1.5 cm. long, blades of fruiting branchlets 3-10 cm. long, those of sterile twigs sometimes larger, oblique, rounded or somewhat cordate at the base, taper-pointed, sometimes acuminate at the apex, margins entire or with a few teeth usually about or above the middle, becoming thick and smooth above at maturity, sometimes rough, especially on vigorous shoots, generally somewhat pubescent along the veins beneath; fruit matures late in the autumn, usually an orange or light cherry color late in summer, becoming a very dark cherry color late in the autumn, globose to ellipsoidal, on pedicels about as long as the petioles; sometimes the pedicels are shorter but usually about one-half longer; pedicels generally ascending, rarely recurved, when recurved the pedicels are short.
Distribution.—Pennsylvania to northern Illinois, south to Florida and west to Arkansas. Local in Indiana. It has been collected by the writer in Lake County near the mouth of the Grand Calumet River where it was collected by E. J. Hill who has given us the most detailed account of this species.[46] Also collected on a high, gravelly hill on the east side of Hog-back Lake, Steuben County; on a rocky wooded slope in Hamar's Hollow southeast of Mitchell in Lawrence County; on a "knob" in Floyd County; on a rocky wooded slope near Big Spring in Washington County; frequent on a rocky wooded slope near the Ohio River east of Elizabeth in Harrison County; on the bank of Blue River near Milltown in Crawford County; and in Perry County along the bluffs of the Ohio River about six miles east of Cannelton, and also on the crest of a ridge about six miles southwest of Derby. It has also been reported by Nieuwland for Clark in Marshall County.