A must-have for any birdwatcher’s garden! Birds fancy Desert Hackberry for its tiny, edible red berries that are a major source of food in fall, for the dense foliage that extends much-needed shelter from summer heat, and for the multitudes of thorny branches that provide a safe place to build homes. Several species of butterfly are also commonly seen fluttering about the shrub’s dark green leaves, searching for a safe place to lay eggs. Aside from its ability to attract wildlife, Desert Hackberry is a fairly indistinct shrub, which makes it an ideal background, foundation or border plant that won’t detract attention from garden specimens.
Dainty, nectar-rich, late winter to midspring, greenish white flowers are followed by sweet, clear orange, 3/8 diameter berries with a flavor reminiscent of cantaloupe ripen in fall. Like all of our native Hackberry species, the Spiny Hackberry, Celtis pallida or C. ehrenbergiana, is an important host plant for the Hackberry butterflies (American Snout, Tawny Emperor,Hackberry Emperor, etc...) as well as the Red-Bordered Metalmark. The ripe fruit are devoured by a variety of birds and other wildlife. Human nibblers should be aware that the fruit does contain a large pit. The Spiny or Desert Hackberry develops into a large shrub or small tree that seems to prefer average moist
soils but as the name implies it is quite drought tolerant once well-established. Young plants should probably protected from hard freezes in zones 7-9A. Makes an impenetrable hedge or drought resistant specimen plant.
Our plants are raised from seeds and the ripe fruit can actually range from red to yellow with orange being most common. The summer flowers are relished by bees! It also makes a near impenetrable hedge.
Germination
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed is best given 2 - 3 months cold stratification and then sown February/March in a greenhouse. Germination rates are usually good, though the stored seed might take 12 months or more to germinate. The seed can be stored
for up to 5 years. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. The leaves of seedlings often have a lot of white patches without chlorophyll, this is normal and older plants produce normal green leaves. Grow the seedlings on in a cold frame for their first winter, and plant them out in the following late spring or early summer.
Give them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors.
Height: 10 – 16 feet
Width: 8 – 10 feet
Bloom color: Greenish Yellow
Flowering season: Spring
USDA minimum zone: 7
Cold hardiness: 10° F
