Brasher 2003, Benson and Darrow 1981, Kearney and Peebles 1969

Common Name: spiny hackberry Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub General: Densely branches shrub 1-6 m high. Paired, straight spines and short, lateral thorn-tipped branches. Leaves: Subentire to serrate, ovate to elliptic, 1-3 cm long, .6-2 cm wide. Flowers: Perfect, staminate, and pistillate, greenish yellow flowers in small cymes growing at leaf base.  Fruits: One seeded drupe, yellow or orange 5-8 mm in diameter. Ecology: Common along washes and on rocky and gravelly slopes, occasionally dominates bajadas, grows in Sonoran desertscrub and semidesert grassland from 1,500-4,000 ft (457-1219 m); flowers March-April and again July-October. Notes: Paired spines at node distinguish this shrub from other thorny, simple-leaved shrubs in the region. Ethnobotany: Wood is used for fuel and fence posts, many birds and animals eat drupes and use shrub for cover. Etymology: Celtis is a Greek name for the tree, while its old name pallida means pale. Synonyms: Celtis pallida, Celtis spinosa var. pallida, Celtis tala var. pallida, Momisia pallida Editor: SBuckley, 2010