Scientific Name: Celtis pallida
Common Name: Desert Hackberry, Spiny Hackberry
Family: Cannabaceae
Duration: Perennial
Size: Up to 12 feet or so
Growth Form: Shrub or tree; branches are dense, spreading with thorns about 1 inch; branches with whitish gray smooth bark;
Leaves: Green; deciduous; relatively small, about 1½ long, thickish; ovate to ovate-oblong; margins entire or dentate; leaf surfaces scabrous.
Flower Color: Green, small, inconspicuous; flowers from leaf axils; fruit a red, yellow or orange drupe.
Flowering Season: March to May
Comments: Celtis pallida is a host species for the larvae of the American Snout Butterfly (Libytheana carinenta) as well as offering food and protection to many birds and insects such as native honey bees and butterflies.