Trees of New Yark State 207 



ULMACEAE 



Celtis occidentalis L. | Celtis canina Raf.] 



Hackberry, Sugarberry 



Habit — In our range usually, a small tree 20-(30 feet in height with a trunk 

 diameter of i/^-2 feet, attaining its maximum size of 130 feet in the rich 

 alluvial soils of the Ohio basin. In the open the trunk is short, breaking 

 up 8-10 feet above the ground into stout spreading limbs to form a bushy, 

 ovoid or oblong^ round-topped head comparable to that of the Sugar Maple. 



Leaves — Alternate, broadly ovate and somewhat falcate, 2}^-^ inches long, 

 1-2 inches mde, acuminate at the apex, rounded and inequilateral at the 

 base, coarsely serrate except at the ends, 3-ribbed, at maturity thin, lus- 

 trous, smooth or scabrous and light green \%'ith sunken veins above, paler 

 and glabrous or somewhat hairy on the prominent veins beneath, borne on 

 slender, hairy petioles %-% of an inch long. 



Flowers — Appearing in May with the leaves, polygamo-monoecious, the 

 staminate cymose from flower-buds at the base of the growth of the season, 

 the perfect and pistillate solitary or in few-flowered fascicles from the 

 axUs of the upper leaves. Calyx pale yellowish green, divided nearly to 

 the base into 5 linear, acute, scarious lobes. Stamens in sterile flower 

 inserted marginally on the white-tomentose receptacle. Filaments incurved 

 above the middle before anthesis, bearing proximal, oblong, emarginate 

 anthers, straightening abruptly and catapulting the pollen as the flower 

 opens. Stamens in perfect flower shorter with slightly curved filaments 

 and anthers equal to or slightly exceeding the calyx-lobes, similar in 

 anthesis. Pistil consisting of a sessile, green, lustrous, 1-celled, ovate 

 ovary surmounted by a short, sessile style dividing into 2 broadly diverg- 

 ent lobes white papillate and stigmatic on their inner surface. 



Fruit — A thick-skinned, 1-seeded, subglobose or oblong, long-stalked, dark 

 purple, drj- drupe, about ^A of an inch long, tipped by the persistent style, 

 maturing in the autumn and persisting into the winter. Flesh thin, dry, 

 orange-colored. Xutlet oblong-oval, thick-walled, apiculate, light brown. 



Winter characters — Twigs slender, somewhat zigzag, glabrous or puberulous, 

 semi-lustrous, reddish browTi, at length dark reddish brown. Terminal 

 bud absent. Lateral buds ovate, acute, closely appressed and flattened, 

 pubescent, chestnut-brown, about % of an inch long. Mature bark thick, 

 grayish bro^^^l, scaly at the surface, often roughened by characteristic, 

 irregular, wart-like excrescences. 



Habitat — Attains its best development in the deep alluvial soils of river bot- 

 toms but thrives on gravelly and stony upland sites, especially limestone 

 outcrops. Widely scattered and usually solitary. 



Range — Southern Quebec, westward to eastern Washington and Oregon, 

 southward to Florida, eastern Texas, New Mexico and Nevada. Rare and 

 widelv scattered in the east through the agencv of birds. Zones A, B. 

 and C. 



Uses — Of no economic importance in New York State because of its scarcity. 

 Wood rather soft, heavy, not strong, coarse-grained, pale yellow with wide 

 sapwood. Used for cheap furniture, boxes, slack cooperage and fencing. 



