# sugar hackberry (*Celtis laevigata*) The sugar hackberry is a tall tree with smooth, light-colored bark and green leaves. It produces sweet berries that many birds and animals love to eat! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 7 - **Habitat:** Forests ![sugar hackberry](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Sugarberry_Celtis_laevigata_2009-04-05.jpg&width=800) Photo: Gaberlunzi (Richard Murphy), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sugarberry_Celtis_laevigata_2009-04-05.jpg) ## Appearance The sugar hackberry has distinctive light gray bark often covered in corky, wart-like growths that make it easily recognizable. Its slender, lance-shaped leaves have smooth or finely toothed edges and an asymmetrical base, while its small, sweet, dark purple berries are pea-sized. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Cannabaceae - **Genus:** Celtis ## Interesting facts - Birds love its sweet berries so much, they help spread the tree's seeds far and wide! - Even though it's a tree, its tiny green flowers don't have colorful petals to attract pollinators! - Its strange, warty bark looks like bumps and ridges, making it feel very unique to touch! - The wood of the sugar hackberry is tough, once used for making cheap furniture and baskets! ## Special abilities - **Thirsty Ground Thriver:** The sugar hackberry can grow in dry soils, using its deep roots to find water when other plants struggle. - **Warty Armor:** Sugar hackberry has tough, warty bark that protects its trunk from damage and provides shelter for small insects. - **Winter Feast Provider:** This tree keeps its sweet berries on branches into winter, offering a vital food source for hungry birds and wildlife. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 1000-2500 cm - **Spread:** 800-1500 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.2-0.4 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Wind ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Eastern Bluebird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-bluebird) (*Sialia sialis*) — eats its sweet, nutrient-rich berries - **Eaten by:** [Raccoon](https://www.snappit.app/explore/raccoon) (*Procyon lotor*) — consumes the tree's ripe berries - **Shelter:** [Eastern Gray Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-gray-squirrel) (*Sciurus carolinensis*) — nests and finds refuge in its branches - **Eats:** Sugarberry Looper (*Apodrepanulatrix liberaria*) — larvae feed on its leaves ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Broadleaf Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/broadleaf-tree): Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Fruit Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-tree): A fruit tree is a perennial tree that produces fruit, which is edible to humans or animals. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Fall Color](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fall-color): Fall color refers to the seasonal change in foliage pigmentation, primarily in deciduous plants, displaying vibrant hues. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always stay on paths when exploring near trees and watch out for falling branches. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify sugar hackberry? Compare how the fruit is clustered, the leaves and their arrangement, the stems and any thorns. Red, blue and black fruits grow on lots of unrelated plants, and the same color can show up on both edible and poisonous species. Berry Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is sugar hackberry? 1000-2500 cm ### How wide does sugar hackberry spread? 800-1500 cm ### How big are the flowers on sugar hackberry? 0.2-0.4 cm ### When does sugar hackberry bloom? Spring ### Is sugar hackberry edible? Yes ### Is sugar hackberry toxic? None ### What is sugar hackberry's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Anderson University](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/anderson-university) — South Carolina, US · Campus - [Broadmoor](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/broadmoor) — Louisiana, US · Neighborhood - [Brunswick Old Town Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brunswick-old-town-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Fairlie-Poplar](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fairlie-poplar) — Georgia, US · Neighborhood - [Mozley Park Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mozley-park-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Palma Sola Botanical Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/palma-sola-botanical-park) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see sugar hackberry](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/sugar-hackberry) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Sugar Hackberry: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sugar-hackberry)