Dunbar Spring Neighborhood - Celtis reticulata

Common Names:

English: Canyon Hackberry

Spanish: Garabato

O’odham: Koom

 

Family: Cannabaceae 

 

Biological Name: Celtis reticulata

 

Rain Garden Zone: C. reticulata thrives in the terrace rain garden zone; however, it may also grow well in the bottom rain garden zone, provided it is not exposed to prolonged periods of standing water. The bottom zone is typically the bottom of a basin or swale. This location is prone to temporary pooling of water as well as nighttime cool air pockets. The terrace zone is typically atop a terrace or on the bank of a basin or swale. These sites have more shallow, less-frequent, and more temporary pooling than in bottom zone.

 

Reproduced with permission from "Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond" by Brad Lancaster, HarvestingRainwater.com

 

Flowering Season: Early Spring 

 

Harvest Season: Early Autumn 

 

Harvest Techniques: Step ladders or other harvesting tools may be required for harvesting canyon hackberries due to their height. Harvest these fruits in the fall when they are fresh and juicy, or pluck dried hackberries from the tree to eat immediately or store. 

 

Planting Season: Monsoon

 

Landscape Cultivation: C. reticulata seeds may need up to 120 days of stratification (moist chilling) treatment before planting, unlike C. pallida (desert hackberry) which can be planted directly. 

 

Characteristics: C. reticulata is considered a shrub or small tree, growing to a height of 20-30 feet. The bark is smooth and gray, sometimes becoming fissured and rough with warts. The greenish flowers grow at the base of young leaves. The berries are a red-orange with a single seed. 

 

Ecological Benefit: Canyon hackberry serves as a food source for birds and small mammals. Fungi and mites form "witches-brooms" (bushy growths) in the branches of the tree. 

 

Practical Uses:

  • Food - Canyon hackberries are sometimes called sugar berries because of their sweet flavor. Once ripe, these berries do not have a long shelf-life and are best if consumed fresh. However, fresh berries can also be made into syrups, sauces, and preserves--or baked into breads and desserts. Dried hackberries can be harvested from the tree and eaten as is or ground to serve as a sugar substitute. In this case, the seed may be left inside and ground as well. Fruits can also be toasted and ground into a flower. 

 

  • Domestic Animals - The berries and seeds of the canyon hackberry make great natural chicken feed. 

 

  • Other - In addition to being a food source, the canyon hackberry also provides a source of shelter, wood/timber, and windbreak. The wood can be used for fence posts and tool handles, while the bark was traditionally used for making sandals. These trees can grow well in tight spaces. 

 

 

References: 

  1. Desert Harvesters. (2018). Eat mesquite and more: a cookbook for Sonoran desert foods and living. Tucson, AZ. RainSource Press.
  2. Hodgson, W. C. (2001). Food plants of the Sonoran desert. Tucson, AZ. University of Arizona Press.
  3. Lancaster, B. (2019) Rainwater harvesting for drylands and beyond, 3rd edition. Tucson, AZ. RainSource Press.
  4. Little, E. L. (1980). The Audubon Society field guide to North American trees, western region. Alfred A. Knopf.
  5. Rea, Amadeo M. (1997). At The Desert's Green Edge - An Ethnobotany of the Gila River Pima. Tucson, AZ. Univeristy of Arizona Press.
  6. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=celar

 

For more information on this plant, see the Campus Arboretum species description pages

 

Go to the next tour stop: screwbean mesquite page  or Return to the main Dunbar Spring tour page