FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Look for corky bumpy bark and long serrated leaves that are yellowish green beneath. Leaves often covered with small galls.
Synonym(s): Celtis mississippiensis
Description: Medium to large tree, 25 to 30 m tall, with smooth gray bark that has corky warts.
Leaves: Simple, alternate, lance-shaped leaves with uneven bases, prominent veins, and a length 3 times the width. Leaves glossy dark green above and yellowish green below.
Flowers/Fruit: Edible fruits fleshy drupes with a large seed inside, deep reddish-purple when ripe. The taste is similar to dates. Flowers April/May; fruits August to October.
Habit and Range: Bottomland forests, natural levees, nearby upland forests, poorly-drained clay. Uncommon in the Mountains and the Coastal Plain outside brownwater floodplains.
