Virginia Tech Dendrology

netleaf hackberry Ulmaceae Celtis laevigata var. reticulata Willd. var. (Torr.) L.D. Benson symbol: CELAR
Leaf: Alternate, simple, pinnately veined, 2 to 4 inches long, leathery, ovate in shape with an entire margin or with a few widely spaced teeth, dark green and rough on upper surface, conspicuous "net-like" raised veins on lower surface.
Flower: Very small (1/8 inch), pale green, appearing in early spring at the base of young leaves.
Fruit: Fleshy, sweet, globose drupe, 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter, reddish orange to purple when ripe in late summer.
Twig: Slender, zigzag, brown with numerous lighter lenticels when hardened, fuzzy particularly when young, tightly appressed light brown lateral buds, chambered pith.
Bark: Tan to gray-brown with conspicuous warts when young, when mature irregular corky ridges form.
Form: Generally a small tree (30 to 40 feet tall) with a short trunk and open wide spreading crown with crooked branches.
Looks like: sugarberry - spiny hackberry - American elm

Additional Range Information: Celtis laevigata var. reticulata is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color - Wood
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material © 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information