Hackberries in Ohio are deciduous trees with smooth, gray, becoming warty, bark. Winter buds are small, and terminal buds are absent. Leaves are alternate with toothed, or entire, leaf margins. Unisexual and bisexual flowers are borne on the same plant. Fruit is a drupe.
| I. | Leaves are usually uneven at the base. Foliage is 2—43/4 inches (5—12 cm) long and prominently three-veined. Teeth are missing on the lower third of the leaf margin. Buds are flattened against the twig. Pith is diaphragmed or intermittently chambered. Flowers are small and inconspicuous. Fruit ranges in color from orange-red to dark purple. |
| Celtis occidentalis–Common Hackberry |
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| Hackberry | |||
Hackberry–Celtis occidentalis
The hackberry is commonly found in the state except in the northeastern portion. It occurs most abundantly, and of great size, in the rich, alluvial lands of southwestern Ohio but thrives on various types of soil. It is usually a small- to medium-sized tree, 30—50 feet high and 10—20 inches in diameter. In the open, the crown is symmetrical as an older tree but open and irregular as a younger plant. Its limbs are often crooked and angular. The crown is made of slender branches or short, bristly, stubby twigs. It makes an excellent shade tree because of its urban-tolerance.
The small buds are adpressed against the stem. Terminal buds are absent. Pith is diaphragmed or intermittently chambered. The bark is grayish and generally rough with scalelike or warty projections of dead bark. In some instances, the bark is smooth enough on the limbs to resemble that of the beech.
The leaves are simple, ovate, and borne in an alternate pattern. Foliage is 2—43/4 inches (5—12 cm) long and has uneven leaf bases. Leaves are prominently three-veined. The leaf margins are entire near the leaf base and toothed towards the tip. Fall color is normally poor but may be a good yellow.
The flowers are inconspicuous with both the unisexual and perfect flowers borne on the same tree. They appear in April or May and are of a creamy, greenish color. The fruit is a round, somewhat oblong, drupe, or berry, from 1/4—1/3 inch (6—8 mm) in diameter. The fruit has a thin, orange-red to purplish skin and sweet, yellowish flesh. The berries frequently hang on the tree most of the winter if they are not eaten by wildlife.
The wood is heavy, rather soft, weak, and decays readily when exposed to the weather. It is used chiefly for fuel, but occasionally for lumber.