Sugarberry / Hackberry (Celtis laevigata)

Sugarberry / Hackberry (Celtis laevigata)

Sugarberry is one of Louisiana’s most ecologically important native trees — a medium to large hardwood of bottomland forests and stream banks whose small, sweet, dark purple berries ripen in fall and feed an extraordinary diversity of birds and wildlife. It is the southern hackberry, adapted to the heat, humidity, and periodic flooding of the Gulf South, and one of the most wildlife-productive trees per square foot of any native species.

Botanical Profile

• Family: Cannabaceae (Hemp family)
• Native Range: Southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas; native to Louisiana bottomland forests, stream banks, and floodplain margins
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5–9
• Mature Size: 40–60 feet tall
• Sun: Full sun to part shade
• Soil: Moist to wet; tolerates clay, periodic flooding, drought, and compacted soils; extremely adaptable

Ecological Role

Sugarberry berries are consumed by over 50 species of birds including cedar waxwings, American robins, mockingbirds, yellow-rumped warblers, and wood thrushes. It is the exclusive larval host plant of the Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor, American Snout, and Question Mark butterflies. It supports over 40 species of native Lepidoptera larvae.

In the Cajun Heritage Garden

Part of the Jardin — Heritage Garden collection at Big Mamou Enterprises, Sugarberry is a tree of extraordinary ecological generosity — a wildlife magnet and a cornerstone of the Louisiana bottomland forest.