Common Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in dry to moist glades, outcrops, barrens, woodlands, and bottomland forests, usually over calcareous substrates. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 40–100 feet
Spread: 40–60 feet
Light: Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Celtis occidentalis — bloom photograph — Sten Porse · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: March to May
Fruiting season: August to October

JFMAMJJASOND

Recorded in 18 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Catoosa County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Cedar Glade Number 5, Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Catoosa County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 90 animals.

American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bachman's Sparrow
Aimophila aestivalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Sitta pusilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

47CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Celtis

Asterocampa celtisHackberry Emperor
Automeris ioIo Moth
Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak
Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Acronicta rubricomaRuddy Dagger, Hackberry Dagger
Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
Asterocampa clytonTawny Emperor
Catocala sordidaSordid Underwing

Show all 47

Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Cryptothelea gloveriiOrange Bagworm
Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
Ecdytolopha manaBicolored Ecdytolopha
Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Isogona tenuisThin-Lined Owlet
Isturgia dislocariaPale-Veined Isturgia, Pale-Veined Econista
Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
Libytheana carinentaAmerican Snout [subspecies: Eastern Snout Butterfly]
Megalopyge crispataBlack-Waved Flannel Moth, Crinkled Flannel Moth
Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
Megalopyge pyxidiferaYellow Flannel Moth
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Norape cretataWhite Flannel Moth
Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
Phyllodesma americanaLappet Moth, American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet Moth
Pococera euphemellaMesquite Leaf Tier Moth
Polygonia commaEastern Comma
Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
Rifargia subrotataSmall Heterocampa
Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
Sciota celtidellaHackberry Leafroller
Sciota rubrisparsellaRed-Splashed Leafroller
Sericaglaea signataVariable Sallow
Sparganothis pulcherrimanaBeautiful Sparganothis Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Phyllonorycter celtifoliella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

0BeesSoutheastern regional records

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

21BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Celtis

Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Catharus fuscescensVeery
Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Leptotila verreauxiWhite-tipped Dove

Show all 21

Melanerpes carolinusRed-bellied Woodpecker
Melozone fuscaCanyon Towhee
Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Toxostoma curvirostreCurve-billed Thrasher
Toxostoma longirostreLong-billed Thrasher
Toxostoma rufumBrown Thrasher
Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Cannabaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Yellow, green, inconspicuous, orange or purple
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Single stem
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: August
Fruit ends: October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “March to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow, green, inconspicuous, orange or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “40–100 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards differs)
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “40–60 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Celtis occidentalis var. occidentalis; Hackberry; Northern Hackberry

Conservation status

Florida rank	Not available
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Common Hackberry

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Celtis