UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

Have you ever seen a really big tree? Recently I made a presentation on Champion trees and found that Okeechobee is without any champions. This “drought” can change real soon with your help, and we can then celebrate Friday January 21^st as Florida’s Arbor Day 2005 with some bragging rights.

Here’s why: My recent visits around the county introduced me to some fairly large Sugarberry trees. And since there is NO listing for a National Champion Sugarberry tree, any nomination could result in Okeechobee’s first National Champion Tree. Today’s column will talk about this native tree, and the process of naming a champion tree.

The Sugarberry tree is a native bottomland tree found growing in moist soils across most of the US. In our area, they are often found near the edge of Lake Okeechobee and along naturally occurring creeks and sloughs. This gives an idea where to look for a champion in waiting.

This tree is also called the Southern Hackberry or Sugar Hackberry; botanists call it Celtis laevigata. It a close relative of the American Elm, and could be confused with this species, which naturally grows in the same places.

The sugarberry tree has a tall vase-like shape, with a broad rounded top and narrow base. It commonly reaches 50 to 70 feet in height and spread. In wooded areas they don’t usually reach that width. The trunk diameter ranges from 1 to 3 feet.

When young, the grey-brown to silvery bark is somewhat smooth, but as it matures, the trunk becomes covered with many warty bumps or corky ridges that help identify this tree. Because it is thin, the bark can be damaged by weed trimmers, lawn mowers or bumping cars. For this reason they should be planted away from parking spaces and highly manicured turfgrass.

Sugarberry trees have a broad spreading crown and narrow base (left) Photos by Dan Culbert

Warty bumps (left) and corky ridges (right) help identify the Sugarberry tree. Photos by Dan Culbert

At this time of year, the leaves of the sugarberry are turning lemony yellow in color. In a few weeks, Florida’s “spring” will arrive, and this tree will produce new leaves. The leaves of the sugarberry are 2-4 inches long, with slightly saw-toothed edges, and are tipped like a spear.

Photo by Dan Culbert

Fall foliage color of the sugarberry is yellow (left).

Young spring foliage and flower clusters are light green (right)

Photo courtesy Dan Skean, Albion College

Leaves (right) of the Sugarberry look like a spear tip; the edge is slightly toothed.

Photo courtesy Will Cook, Duke University

Young fruit of the sugarberry are green (left) Photo courtesy Will Cook, Duke University

Photo Copyright @1997 Alice B. Russell, NCSU-retired

Maturing Sugarberry fruit may turns red (left),

then matures to a blue black color (right)

Photo courtesy Donald E. Davis Arboretum, Auburn University

Along with new leaves, small flower clusters also appear in the spring. After they are pollinated, they give rise to small oval berries, ¼ inch in diameter that are blue-black to red in color. These tiny, sweet fruits mature in late fall to winter and attract many birds, which spread the seed. Sugarberry gets its name from these sweet fruit. Because of its abundant fruit, planting this tree can enhance wildlife in any natural landscape setting.

Sugarberry trees are relatively pest free, but may harbor mistletoe. Leaves may be affected by a few diseases and insects which rarely harm the tree’s health. Insect galls sometimes produce bumps on the leaves, and there are several butterflies ( American Snout, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor ) that rely on sugarberry leaves for food.. One local nurseryman reports that Sugarberries attracted various sucking insects to his nursery, but these insects are easily controlled by insecticidal oils.

When used in the landscape, Sugarberry trees will require corrective pruning for the first 15 years of growth. Their narrow branch angles trap bark in the tree’s crotches, and can cause splitting in windstorms; pruning eliminates these weak branches before they get too big. Branches of your Sugarberries appear to be quite flexible, but as they mature, they become more brittle and may break. Another factor is that they don’t do well in alkaline soils, so don’t plant them in fill soils that contain shell rock.

One cultivar of sugarberry exists, called ‘All Seasons', which has a more uniform crown shape than the species and does not shed twigs as the species does. The medium-textured, light green leaves turn bright yellow in fall and can be showy in some years. Contact our office if you need help locating nursery grown sugarberry trees for your Florida Yard.

Champion tree status does not give protective status to a tree - it only offers bragging rights. The nominator and the property owner are provided with a certificate acknowledging their tree as a champion. The national list is updated and published every two years; Florida’s last champion list is several years old.

Trees are measured using different kinds of tools. I use a forester’s tree scale stick that estimates tree diameter, height and spread. The diameter of a tree is measured in inches at a height of 4 ½ feet from the ground. Height is measured in feet. The average crown spread is also measured in feet, but is divided by four when champion nominations are made. These inches, feet and feet are added together to determine “points”, which can compare trees from different areas.

To give some idea of how big some Champions are, the huge Sequoia called General Sherman has 1300 points; Louisiana’s Champion Bald Cypress measures in at mere 651 points. At the other end of the scale, the Champion Rough Velvetseed in Key Largo tops out at a mere 22 points.

Last week I visited the Zachary Taylor Resort and found many sugarberry trees. One has a trunk measuring 24 ½ inches in diameter and has a height of 48 feet. It lost a large limb to September hurricanes - otherwise its crown spread would be greater that it’s current 24 foot canopy. Using the methods described above, this tree measures in at 78 points.

American Forests National Registry tells us why Sugarberry has no champ – it has just been added to the list. Others species new to the national list include Guava and Marlberry – these are also ripe listing. The old Florida list does mention several Sugarberry trees, with one near Jennings, Florida, measured in 1993 with 322 points.

If you see a big sugarberry tree, or any other potential Okeechobee champion tree, I’d be happy to check it against the lists and come out to measure it. Our office can help you submit the nomination form to the Florida Division of Forestry or American Forests.

More information about the Sugarberry tree and photos are on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on trees, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners on Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons. Apply today to be part of our new Master Gardener class, starting January 26th.

Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean. This page is maintained by Dan Culbert Hit Counter

Gilman, Ed & Watson Dennis. Celtis laevigata Sugarberry Southern Trees Fact Sheet ST-138. Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, November 1993. http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/CELLAEA.pdf

ibid. Celtis laevigata "All Seasons" Sugarberry Southern Trees Fact Sheet ST-139 Gainesville: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, November 1993. http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/CELLAEB.pdf