Shrub · Sonoran native
Desert Hackberry
Celtis pallida · Cannabaceae
Also called: Spiny Hackberry, Granjeno, Huasteco
Desert Hackberry (Celtis pallida) is a very low-water shrub native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Desert Hackberry at a glance
- Water use
- Very Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade.
- Mature size
- 6-12 ft H x 6-12 ft W (typically a dense, rounded shrub or small multi-trunk thicket).
- Growth rate
- Slow to moderate.
- Bloom
- Small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers., Spring through summer (responds to rains), followed by small edible orange-yellow to red berries.
- Cold hardiness
- Cold hardy to about 10-15 F; USDA zones 8-11. Well adapted to Tucson winters.
- Soil
- Highly adaptable; tolerates poor, rocky, sandy, and calcareous/alkaline desert soils. Excellent drainage tolerance.
- Native range
- Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts; southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, west Texas, and northern Mexico.
- Best used as
- Barrier/security hedge (thorny), Wildlife and habitat garden, Revegetation/restoration, Informal screen, Erosion control on slopes
- Wildlife
- Outstanding wildlife plant: dense thorny structure provides premier bird nesting and cover; berries feed many birds (especially cardinals, pyrrhuloxia, thrashers) and small mammals; larval host for butterflies including the empress and American snout; flowers attract pollinators.
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic; berries are edible (sweet) to humans and wildlife.
How to grow Desert Hackberry in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Extremely drought tolerant once established; survives on natural rainfall in Tucson. Occasional deep summer irrigation keeps it greener and fuller but is not required.
Fertilizer & nutrients
No fertilizer needed; thrives in lean native soils. Over-fertilizing produces weak growth.
Pruning & care
Minimal pruning required; can be left natural as a dense thorny thicket or selectively thinned. Prune in late winter. Note the sharp spines when working around it.
Notes
Correctly classified as a thorny evergreen-to-semi-deciduous SHRUB, not a tree (the prompt's expected 'Tree' is inaccurate for this species). One of the highest-value native wildlife plants for the Sonoran Desert. Zigzag spiny branches form an impenetrable thicket.
Sources: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Tohono Chul Park; AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert