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Celtis reticulata (Torr.) L. Benson
by
, Native Plants Class
Common names: Netleaf Hackberry, Sugarberry.
Family: Ulmacea
Synonymy: Celtis laevigata var. reticulata.
Etymology: The epithet reticulata refers to the net-like (reticulate) pattern of veins on the leaves.
Identification
Growth form: Netleaf Hackberry is a small to medium-size tree, up to 30 feet tall, with a gnarly
growth form. Larger, older specimens have a spreading crown topping on a short, warty-barked
trunk.
Roots: The root system consists of
Stem: Young stems have smooth, pale gray bark. On older trees, the bark is rough and
distinctively warty.
Leaves: Bright green, rough textured, lopsided leaves with saw-tooth margins and long pointed
tips. The underside of the leaves have distinctive, raised, reticulate veins. The leaves are
deciduous and turn yellow in the fall. They often have insect galls on them.
Inflorescence/flowers: Inflorescences are tiny greenish flowers that protrude from the base of
immature leaves.
Fruit: The fruit is small, pea-sized, bright orange drupe dangling from a glabrous pedicel. A thin
layer of pulp surrounds a single interior seed.
Similar species: Celtis pallida (Desert Hackberry) is the other Celtis species found in Arizona.
The two species are easily distinguished by leaf shape, which is dark green and elliptical in C.
pallida. Also, C. pallida flowers are whitish and the berries are more egg-shaped .
Ecology
Life history: Hackberry is a long-lived (>100 yr) species (5).
Native/introduced: Native.
Photosynthetic pathway:.
Phenology: In northern Arizona, Netleaf Hackberry usually flowers in March and April. Fruits are
disseminated in late August through December (2,3).
Distribution: North to Washington, east to Kansas and Nebrask, south to Mexico. It is usually
found growing in desert riparian areas and canyon bottoms between 500 and 1850 m (1500-6000
feet) elevation (2,3) .
Uses
Wildlife: Hackberry fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals (2). The berries were widely
used by Native Americans, who either boiled them or pounded them into a pulp, seeds and all,
and then mixed them with dried corn meal or animal fat (1,2, 4). The Navajo considered the
berries an aid to digestion (6).
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Castetter, E.F. 1935. Ethnobiological Studies in the American Southwest I: Uncultivated Native
Plants Used as Sources of Food. University of New Mexico Bulletin 4(1):1-44.
Elmore, F. H. and J. R. Janish. 1976. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands. Southwest
Parks and Monuments Association, Tuscon. 214 pp.
Epple, A.O. 1995. A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona. LewAnn Publishing. Mesa,
Arizona.347 pp.
Gifford, E.W. 1936. Northeastern and Western Yavapai. University of California Publications
in American Archaeology and Ethnology 34:247-345.
Salzer, M.W., V.A. S. McCord, L. E. Stevens, and R. H. Webb. 1996. The dendrochronology of
Celtis reticulata in the Grand Canyon: assessing the impact of regulated river flow on tree growth.
6.
Pp. 273-281 in J.S. Dean, D.M. Meko, and T. W. Swetnam, editors, Tree Rings, Environment and
Humanity. Radiocarbon.
Wyman, L. C. and S.K. Harris. 1951. The Ethnobotany of the Kayenta Navajo. University of
New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.