80 



Common Trees 



HAGKBERRY 



Celtis occidentalis, Linnaeus 



THE HACKBERRY, also called Sugarberry, Nettle-tree, and 

 Hack-tree, is not a common tree in New York. 



The leaves are simple, alternate, ovate, 2 to 4 inches long, 

 finely toothed along margin, sharp-pointed, rounded and 

 often lopsided at base, rough on upper surface, with promi- 

 nent primary veins. 



The flowers are small, 

 greenish and borne on 

 slender stalks. The fruit 

 is a round, dark purple 

 berry about j4 of an inch 

 in diameter. It matures 

 about September, hangs 

 far into winter, and is eat- 

 en freely by birds and 

 other animals. 



The grayish-brown bark 

 ranges from smooth, like 

 that of the beech, to very 

 rough. Hard wart-like bark 

 projections are common on 

 medium-sized trees. The 

 twigs are slender, tend to 

 zigzag, and are often 

 grouped in dense clusters 

 known as "witches- 

 brooms." TheV Contain a Twig section, flowers and leaf-scar, enlarged, 

 pith that is made Up Of One-fourth natural size. 



thin white plates separated 



by wide air spaces. This is known as "chambered pith." 



* The wood is yellowish, rather heavy, and coarse-grained. 

 It is used chiefly for crates, boxes, handles and agricultural 

 implements. 



The Hackberry covers a range of 2,000,000 square miles 

 from New England to the Pacific Coast and south to Flor- 

 ida and Texas. It is found locally across southern New 

 York, but infrequent northward through the Hudson valley 

 and westward to Oneida Lake, Ontario lowlands and Lake 

 Erie. It is rare on Long Island. It prefers rich moist soil 

 and is often found near streams. It is rarely over 50 feet 

 high. 



HACKBERRY 



