HACKBERRY

HACKBERRY ON WASHINGTON AVENUE...

ALTERNATE, ELM-LIKE LEAVES (Google photo)

LIME GREEN FALL LEAF COLOR AND ROUNDED FORM 

Monday, 8:15 AM.  40 degrees F at the ferry dock, 33 on the back porch, a surprise, since frost was not predicted at all.  Wind variable and calm, humidity 87% and the sky clear.  The barometer is holding steady at 30.42".  Rain is predicted for Wednesday, with low's in the high 30's and highs in the high 40's for the week ahead.
   Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis, in the Elm Family (Ulmaceae) is a medium to large sized tree, depending upon growth conditions.  It is native to rich moist soils and riverbanks in the east-central US, with its center of population being in the central Mississippi River valley.  It has some degree of shade tolerance and prefers lime soils.
   Hackberry has elm-like leaves and a very corky, warty bark and bears pea-sized, edible blue berries. It has gained some popularity as a street tree due to it being in the elm family, although its shape is rounded, not vase-like as is the American elm. It is immune to Dutch elm disease.
   Bayfield has a number of hackberry street trees, and they add interesting diversity to the street tree population. The trees appear to be perfectly hardy this far north. The lime-green fall leaf color contrasts nicely with the reds and yellows of oaks and maples.

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