Habitat: Lowland woods to dry hilltops.
Range: Virginia across to southern Missouri, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Sugarberry differs generally from other hackberries by its narrower, mostly toothless leaves.
HACKBERRY
Celtis occidentalis L.
Other Name: Sugarberry.
Growth Form: Medium or large tree up to 80 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 5 feet; crown usually oblong, with many small branchlets.
Bark: Gray, smooth on young trees and soon bearing “warts,” becoming rough and scaly on old trees.
Twigs: Slender, gray to reddish-brown, smooth, sometimes zigzag; leaf scars alternate, usually crescent-shaped, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Slender, oval, pointed, brown or gray, finely hairy, about ¼ inch long.