sugarberry tree: desirable?

[biwa]

There's a sugarberry tree in my garden. It was there when I bought the house. I can't decide if it's a weed or if it was planted there intentionally. At first I thought it was a weed, but then I looked up sugarberry and apparently it isn't native to Virginia, so it seems like someone must have planted it.

Is sugarberry a cute little pretty tree that would look good in a garden, or is it a fast growing weedy tree like a tulip poplar? Is it worth keeping for the berries? Are they edible?

It's starting to get pretty big. Should I prune it and keep it, or cut it down?

[Kisal]

I don't know that I would call it "cute" or "little." They grow to be 60' to 80' tall. That's a good-sized tree, IMO.

Here's a link to a site with some information and pictures:

https://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Sugarberry/sugarber.htm

[!potatoes!]

I've been told that all hackberry (Celtis) fruits are edible, but some are definitely more tasty than others...not terribly fast growing, but not necessarily something I'd want in a garden bed....

[valleytreeman]

The hackberry (sugarberry), Celtus Laevigata is native to virginia, usually occuring in river and stream bottoms, but occasionionally on more xeric ridges. Its quite versatile. It is likely it was not planted, but that does not mean it is not desirable or a weed. Relatively slow growing it is a tree that won't eaily get out of its assigned space. Yellow fall coloration and warty bark give it some visual interest year round.

There is an offhand chance your tree may be a Amalanchier (serviceberry, sarvisberry, shadblow, shadbush, saskatoon.... all common names for the Amelanchier genus). These are referred to as sugar berry in some locales. The Amelanchier is a small tree or large bush that blooms very early in the season.... the first showy bloomer in most locales. Blooms are white and come at the same time the shad run up our eastern rivers.... or here in the mountains, when the snow melts and the ground thaws and the traveling preacher can get arround to perform important "services" (funerals, weddings, baptisms put off through the long isolating winter) It prefers shade and moist soil (not wet) but will acclimate to dryer sites.

[!potatoes!]

serviceberries (aka juneberries) have pretty fantastic fruit, too. we got about a gallon of them last week - pie time! the different species have very different growth habits, too - large trees to shrubs.

[biwa]

Hm. Ok, I guess I'll just prune it for now. I can decide whether or not I want to keep it once it gets old enough to flower, bear fruit, and have funny-looking bark.

Right now it's still pretty young. It's maybe 6 or 7 feet tall.