Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata var. laevigata) · Species Notes

Restoration Role

Wildlife support tree. Sugarberry is one of the highest-ROI trees for birds, insects, and rapid habitat structure — the bottomland hackberry of the river and drainage soils.

Site Suitability

PrimaryRiver Conservation Strip, Drainage Corridor, moist alluvial bottomland

SecondaryFilter band and shelterbelt on the deeper soils

AvoidDry, shallow upland limestone is netleaf country — sugarberry tolerates caliche but wants moist ground

SoilsBeB, Oa; moist alluvial bottomland

HydrologyMoist bottomland; the river and drainage member of the pair

Propagation & Care

Seed collectionCollect ripe dark berries late summer through winter when mature.

StratificationRecommended: 60–90 days cold stratification after cleaning pulp.

PropagationClean fruit pulp thoroughly. Sow 1/4–1/2 inch deep.

Container progressionSeed → Bootstrap Cell → D40 Deepot → Field planting.

Nursery wateringModerate. Do not keep saturated.

LightFull sun after establishment.

OutplantingBest age 6–12 months. Plant November–February.

Establishment Watering

Year 1: 5–10 gallons every 2 weeks during drought.
Year 2: drought only.

Field notesPeople often dislike hackberry in yards. Wildlife does not — this is a bird tree. Split from Netleaf Hackberry: USDA PLANTS treats this as Celtis laevigata var. laevigata (CELAL), the moist-bottomland variety, while Netleaf (var. reticulata) holds the dry upland limestone. Not every flora splits them this way — NPSOT keeps sugarberry at species rank and treats netleaf as a species of its own. We follow PLANTS.