Sugarberry. (Celtis species). Sugarberries may have been the
magical food of the Lotophagi, or lotus eaters, those legendary people who
lived on the northeast African coast and gave wine made form the
purplish-green fruit to travelers, who lost all desire to return home
after drinking it (another possibility is the Chinese jujube). In any
event, the berries are sweet an good for deserts as well as eating out of
hand. Celtis australis, the 40 to 70 foot tall tree the lotus eaters might
have grown, is a Eurasian and North African tree little known outside of
California in America, but the two attractive species below are more
extensively cultivated here. Both are spiny trees that look like elms,
have sweet fruit, and are easy to grow in any common garden soil. They are
propagated from seeds sown in the fall, or by cuttings taken in the fall.
Celtis Laevigata. Growing 50 to 90 feet high, the sugarberry has 2
½ inch, oblong leaves without marginal teeth, and fruit that is egg
shaped, 1/3 inch in diameter, and black purple when fully ripe (at first
orange red). Hardy from zone 3 southward.
Celtis Occidentalis. The common hackberry, nettle tree, or hog
berry grows up to 100 feet in height and has toothed leaves except at the
base. It bears some what pear shaped fruits about ½ inch long that are
black purple when ripe. Hardy form zone 2 southward, it stands poor soil
and smoke very well.
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