Celtis sinensisChinese Hackberry

Celtis sinensis, the Chinese Hackberry, is a tough deciduous shade tree with a broad, spreading crown, smooth grey bark and toothed ovate leaves that turn clear yellow in autumn. It is one of the few large canopy trees that will take compacted, poor and reflected-heat urban soil and keep growing.

That resilience is why it appears so often in car parks, wide verges and civic squares: it forgives the conditions those places impose and still makes a proper canopy.

Specifications

• Height15 to 20 metres
• Width10 to 15 metres
• Native toEast Asia, including China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan
• FoliageBroad ovate leaves toothed towards the tip, mid-green turning clear yellow in autumn; deciduous
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilTolerates a very wide range including compacted, poor and alkaline urban soils; prefers well-drained ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterLow to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in temperate to subtropical regions; frost hardy

Additional Features

• FormBroad, spreading, high-branching crown over smooth grey bark
• FruitSmall orange to blackish berries carried along the shoots
• UsesIdeal for shade and street planting, car parks, civic squares, parks and large gardens
• SpacingPlant 8 to 12 metres apart for avenues or canopy cover
• Low MaintenanceMinimal pruning; lift the crown early to give clearance over paths and parking
• Pest ResistanceGenerally resilient
• Drought ToleranceEstablished trees cope with extended dry periods and poor soil
• Wildlife AttractionBerries are readily taken by birds

The Chinese Hackberry is the pragmatic choice where a real canopy is needed on soil no one has been kind to.