Hackberry Provides Good Browse and Mast for Deer

Deer Plant: Hackberry / Sugarberry (Celtis spp.)

Class: browse; preferred

Description: A small to medium-sized tree with a spreading irregular crown found on moist soil in stream and river drainages, and a common invader along fence lines. Hackberry leaves are dark green above, pale with prominent raised veins below and are rather thick and stiff. The common name and variety name refer to the dense network of veins in the leaf.

Fruit is eaten by many species of birds and some mammals, including white-tailed deer. The leaves and twigs are browsed by both deer and livestock, so have a good handle of livestock stocking rates in areas where deer management is important.

Hackberry / Sugarberry Photos: