Species specifics: Spiny hackberry

Fast facts

A dense woody shrub capable of creating thickets up to 15 feet wide and up to 10 feet tall
Beneficial in moderation across desert rangelands of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
Also commonly known as desert hackberry or granjeno

What to look for

Spiny hackberry (Celtis pallida), also known as desert hackberry or granjeno, is a long-living, broadleaf, semi-evergreen woody shrub that can grow into dense thickets.

Averaging 6 to 10 feet wide and 4 to 8 feet tall, spiny hackberry features stems that grow in clusters out of the soil and spread to create dense thickets where small mammals and reptiles establish homes. Mature, spreading thickets typically spread further in width than in height, sometimes reaching up to 15 feet wide. The dense, spiny branches are irregular in shape and grey-green in color, producing alternating 1 to 2 inch-long oval leaves that are bright green with three prominent veins. After most leaves are shed in winter, new leaves emerge in the spring, and spines appear at branch nodes where leaves emerge, creating a slightly zig zag pattern over time.

Small (less than one-sixteenth of an inch) greenish-white flowers appear in spring (February to May), yielding bright orange, red or yellow fleshy fruits typically 6 millimeters in diameter with a large seed that some say tastes like cantaloupe. Wildlife frequently eats the fruit, and while not toxic to cattle, livestock rarely consume any parts of the plant because of its’ spiny branches.

Where it is found

The plant prefers well-drained sandy to loamy soils in elevations below 4,000 feet and is drought tolerant. Spiny hackberry is native to and commonly found throughout rangelands of southern Arizona, southern California, New Mexico and west and southern Texas.

How to treat it

While spiny hackberry is often considered a beneficial plant in southern desert rangelands, problems arise when thickets grow too large or the plant spreads so aggressively that it displaces all other favorable forage sources in pastures.

Ideally, herbicides should be applied in late spring to mid-summer when leaves have matured. For individual plant treatment, apply Surmount® herbicide at 2% volume/volume OR GrazonPD3™ herbicide at 0.63% volume/volume to the plant, or apply Spike® 20P herbicide at one-third ounce per 50 square feet to the soil immediately surrounding the bush. For broadcast foliar applications, spray GrazonPD3 at 80 fluid ounces per acre. For broadcast soil herbicide applications to the surface, treat with Spike 20P at 10 to 13 pounds per acre.

GrazonPD3™ and Surmount® are Restricted Use Pesticides. GrazonPD3 is not registered for sale or use in all states. GrazonPD3 is not for sale, distribution or use in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York State. Surmount is not registered for sale or use in all states. Spike® is a registered trademark of Nutrichem used under license. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.