Celtis reticulata

Netleaf hackberry

Family: Cannabaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Netleaf hackberry is a California native shrub found in southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, Tehachapi, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada, and eastern Desert Mountains in dry slopes and intermittent watercourses at elevations of 500 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small flowers in compact clusters with subtle green to yellow tones. Growing as a shrub or small tree 3 to 5 meters tall with multiple stems and a dense, rounded form, it develops rigid branches with rough texture. Its leaves are distinctively thick and triangular-ovate, typically 30 to 74 millimeters long with serrated edges featuring 7 to 32 teeth per side, and rough upper surfaces with hairy veins underneath. The fruit is a small purple-brown drupe approximately 7 to 8 millimeters in diameter, hanging on slender 6 to 10 millimeter pedicels.

Habitat: dry slopes, intermittent watercourses, in gravelly soil

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 500-1700 m

Bioregions: s SNF, Teh, SnBr, PR, s SNE, e DMtns

California counties: Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Inyo, Yolo, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.