Dwarf Hackberry
Celtis pumila
Found in dry to moist glades, outcrops, barrens, woodlands, exposed bluffs, stream banks, and disturbed areas, often over calcareous substrate. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
65
Strong
Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- 6–36 feet
- Spread
- 8–15 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
Space about 11.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous or semi-evergreen
- Bloom
- April to May
- Fruiting season
- August to October
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Recorded in 61 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 4
Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone
Streams, rivers and their banks
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 76 animals.
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- American GoldfinchCarduelis tristis
- American KestrelFalco sparverius
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Bachman's SparrowAimophila aestivalis
- Bank SwallowRiparia riparia
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Black-and-White WarblerMniotilta varia
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Brown ThrasherToxostoma rufum
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Chuck-will's-widowCaprimulgus carolinensis
- Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Common RavenCorvus corax
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
49CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
- Anisota virginiensisPink-striped Oakworm Moth
- Asterocampa clytonTawny Emperor
Show all 49
- Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
- Catocala sordidaSordid Underwing
- Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
- Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
- Ecdytolopha manaBicolored Ecdytolopha
- Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
- Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
- Eupsilia vinulentaStraight-Toothed Sallow
- 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]
- Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
- 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
- Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
- Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
- Phyllodesma americanaLappet Moth, American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet 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
- Sphinx drupiferarumWild Cherry Sphinx
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
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
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 5a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Green, orange, red or white
- 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 · “April to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green, orange, red or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “6–36 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous or semi-evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “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
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “8–15 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Celtis occidentalis var. georgiana; Celtis tenuifolia; Georgia Hackberry
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S4 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
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Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- FloraQuest: Northern Tier (Weakley), phone app (app page)
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications