The Celtis Occidentalis comes from the dicot group, is a part of the Ulmaceae family, and, like most trees and shrubs, is a perennial. This large deciduous tree grows to a height of 50’-70’, being approximately 50’ wide, but in certain areas of Southern Mississippi it has been known to reach heights of 130’, the growth rate being very rapid.
The Celtis Occidentalis is identifiable by alternate leaf arrangements, the oblique leaf base, rough texture of the leaf, corky bark (in adults), zigzag stem pattern, its serrated leaf tips, size, and small red drupe fruit. The droopy branches are rarely straight, but frequently forking, dipping, and ascending.
Also very identifiable is the red, edible fruit, which is ripe during late September, early October. It is a sweet, date-like fruit that contains a very hard seed, known to break teeth when biting into it. This fruit is not, however, ornamentally important. The tree propagates by this seed, or also by budding.
The ability of this plant to adapt and withstand many different stresses is impressive. The Celtis Occidentalis prefers moist soil rich in limestone in bottomlands, but is tolerable to many conditions, withstanding soils that are wet, dry, poor, compacted, windswept, and survives well during periods of drought. This tree prefers full sun, but can tolerate partial sun during youth. With its ability to withstand so many conditions, it makes this tree a good selection for poor conditions, a park tree, a shade tree, to help control erosion, and a wind-breaking tree.
The flowers of the Celtis Occidentalis bloom in late April and emerge with the leaves, which range from 3”-5” in length, and have an oblique leaf base and serrate margins are the tip of the leaf. The summer foliage is a medium green color on the belly of the leaf, with a yellow/green underside. In the autumn, the leaves change to a yellow color.
The only liabilities of this tree are that it is a very large tree, too large for some suburban areas. Also, like many species, it is susceptible to cosmetic diseases, particularly witch’s broom. Finally, it may be a bad tree to sit under for shade at times, because the berries are a favorite among some birds, which means of lot of bird droppings could be present.
The Celtis Occidentalis is a very tough, and grows rapidly to a large stature, which provides many positive attributes, such as erosion control and shade, in many different types of stressful conditions.