Brush - Range & Pasture - Hackberry

BES-TEX BRUSH ID GUIDE

Hackberry

Sugar Hackberry (Sugarberry), Netleaf Hackberry

Celtis spp. (C. laevigata and var. reticulata)

Perennial Woody Brush

Plant Type

Tree; elm family (Ulmaceae)

Life Cycle

Perennial; native

Leaf Habit

[PLACEHOLDER]

Typical Height

[PLACEHOLDER]

Photo Gallery

Tall hackberry tree with a straight gray trunk under a leafy canopy — **Whole Tree** Photo: Toshea2006, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hackberry trunk covered in corky, warty ridges on gray bark — **Warty Bark** Photo: Gaberlunzi (Richard Murphy), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to Identify It

Quick ID

Leaves

Rough like sandpaper; alternate, simple, mostly smooth-edged
2 to 4 inches long with a curved tapering tip
Large net-like veins underneath (Texas A&M)

Bark

Mostly smooth and gray with warts on older stems (Texas A&M)

Fruit

Small round reddish brown to black drupes that stay on through winter (Texas A&M)

Roots

Strong taproot plus many shallow spreading roots (Texas A&M)

Look-Alikes

Elm

Elms have toothed, heavily veined leaves with an uneven base; hackberry leaves are rough with mostly smooth edges (Texas A&M)

Counter script: "If it is a gray tree with warty bark, sandpaper-rough leaves, and small dark berries that hang on in winter, it is most likely hackberry."

Where It Grows

Texas

Hackberry species occur throughout Texas (Texas A&M)

Oklahoma

Common hackberry: mostly northern Oklahoma except the Panhandle; netleaf hackberry: western Oklahoma (OSU)

New Mexico

[PLACEHOLDER]

Sites and soils: Rocky draws, arroyos, and other low, moist areas; thickets, open woods, and stream banks (Texas A&M).

Best Time to Control

Best treatment timing for hackberry: [PLACEHOLDER]. Follow the product label.

Hackberry is a woody perennial. No pre-emergent herbicide controls hackberry.

Treatment Methods

Foliar (Leaf) Spray

Example products: PastureGard HL or Surmount (Corteva); hackberry is listed on both labels
PastureGard HL high-volume mix (label): 0.5 to 1% + 1 qt nonionic surfactant per 100 gal

Basal Bark (Stem) Spray

Streamline basal, a 2 to 3 inch band 12 to 24 inches above ground
PastureGard HL (label): 25% + 10% penetrant in oil
Remedy Ultra (label): 25 to 30% + 10% penetrant in oil

Cut Stump

Cut every stem flat, close to (not below) the soil surface
Brush off soil and sawdust, then spray the cut surface and the sides of the stump right away
Example product: Remedy Ultra (Corteva); Brush Busters lists hackberry for this method
Mix (Brush Busters): Remedy Ultra 15% (19 oz per gallon) in diesel or vegetable oil

Individual Plant vs. Broadcast

Density guidance for this plant: [PLACEHOLDER]
Follow the label for broadcast use

Product names are examples only. Always read and follow the product label. For product selection and help, contact BES-TEX at 325.653.1300.

Sources: Brush Busters: How to Avoid Lumps When Treating Cut Stumps (Texas A&M AgriLife); PastureGard HL label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-637; Remedy Ultra label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-552; Surmount label, EPA Reg. No. 62719-480; Texas A&M Plants of Texas Rangelands; Oklahoma State University Extension.