Dictionary:
hack·ber·ry (hăk'bĕr'ē)  |
[Alteration of obsolete hagberry, hegberry : hag-, heg-, hackberry (from Old Norse heggr) + BERRY.]
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A medium-sized to large tree, Celtis occidentalis. It occurs in the eastern half of the United States, except in the extreme south, and is characterized by corky or warty bark, by alternate, long-pointed serrate leaves unequal at the base, and by a small drupaceous fruit, with thin, sweet, edible flesh. Both species are used for furniture, boxes, and baskets, for shelterbelts, and as shade trees. Sugarberry (C. laevigata) is similar to hackberry and grows in the southeast United States.
| WordNet: hackberry |
The noun has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1:
any of various trees of the genus Celtis having inconspicuous flowers and small berrylike fruits
Synonym: nettle tree
Meaning #2:
small edible dark purple to black berry with large pits; southern United States
Synonym: sugarberry
| Wikipedia: Celtis |
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 Chinese Hackberry (Celtis sinensis) leaves and fruit
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Some 60-70 (see about 35 below) |
Hackberry (Celtis) is a genus of about 60-70 species of deciduous trees widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in southern Europe, southern and eastern Asia, and southern and central North America, south to central Africa, and South America. The genus is present in the fossil record at least since the Miocene of Europe.[1]
Previously included either in the elm family (Ulmaceae) or a separate family, Celtidaceae, the APG II system places Celtis in the hemp family (Cannabaceae).
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Celtis species are generally medium-sized trees, reaching 10–25 metres (33–82 ft) tall, rarely up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, 3–15 centimetres (1.2–5.9 in) long, ovate-acuminate, and evenly serrated margins.
Small monoecious flowers appear in early spring while the leaves are still developing. Male flowers are longer and fuzzy. Female flowers are greenish and more rounded.
The fruit is a small drupe 6–10 millimetres (0.24–0.39 in) mm diameter, edible in many species, with a dryish but sweet, sugary consistency, reminiscent of a date.
Several species are grown as ornamental trees, valued for their drought tolerance. They possess the most bending tolerance of all species of wood[citation needed]. They are a regular feature of arboretums and botanical gardens, particularly in North America. Especially Chinese Hackberry (C. sinensis) is suited for bonsai culture, while a magnificent Pseudo-hackberry (C. japonica) in Daegu-myeon is one of the natural monuments of South Korea. Some, including Common Hackberry (C. occidentalis) and C. brasiliensis, are honey plants and pollen source for honeybees of lesser importance.
The berries, as mentioned above, are often eaten locally. The Korean tea gamro cha (감로차, 甘露茶) contains leaves of C. sinensis.
Celtis species are used as foodplants by the caterpillars of certain Lepidoptera. These include mainly brush-footed butterflies, most importantly the distinct genus Libythea (beak butterflies) and some Apaturinae (emperor butterflies):
The plant pathogenic basidiomycete fungus Perenniporia celtis was first described from a Celtis hostplant. Some species of Celtis are threatened by habitat destruction.
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Celtis". Read more |
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