Chinese Hackberry
Chinese Hackberry Celtis sinensis
What is Celtis sinensis?
Celtis sinensis or Chinese Hackberry, as it is commonly known, is an environmental weed which competes with native flora, and is detrimental to the local environment.
A native tree of China, Korea and Japan, this deciduous tree grows up to 12-20 metres tall and flowers in late winter and spring. The leaves are glossy, with a paler underside and pronounced veins.
Unlike other Celtis species, the Chinese Hackberry has a serrated leaf edge in the upper half of the leaf only. It produces small berries 7-8 mm in diameter which turn reddish brown when ripe in autumn and early winter. These small berries are distributed by birds, flying foxes and other similar means of dispersal.
Identifying Celtis sinensis
Further information on identifying the various Celtis species can be obtained through the Celtis Identification Guide (PDF 320Kb).
Why does it need to be controlled?
Saplings grow in a wide range of soils and quickly establish themselves in disturbed or un-disturbed soil.
In urban bushland areas such as Glebe, Celtis sinensis can damage natural ecosystems by establishing itself as a dominant plant species to the detriment of other native species. It rapidly colonises disturbed bushland and can form dense thickets and dominate other vegetation.
This can be prevented by removing young seedlings which are not yet fully established.
Seedlings commonly grow in inappropriate locations around residential and commercial properties and in cracks and crevices on driveways or other paved areas. They can then cause structural damage to the surface on which they grow. Removing the seedlings when young is very important, as it will stop the Chinese Hackberry from spreading and limit the need to remove a large poorly located tree in the future.
How do I control Celtis sinensis?
Prevention, by removing small seedlings before they have a chance to establish themselves is the key to managing the Celtis sinensis.
Small seedlings and plants can be removed by hand or dug out. Planting new vegetation will help reduce the Chinese Hackberry re-seeding and will also decrease its impact on the environment.
Larger specimens, up to 10 metres in height can be removed without the City’s approval and should be removed by a professional tree company. The stump of the tree may need to be ‘grubbed out’ or poisoned to stop the tree
from re-sprouting.
Trees that are over 10 metres in height are protected by the City’s Tree Preservation Order, and consent from Council is required if you wish to prune or remove them. In May 2007 the City of Sydney supported the Sydney Central Regional Weeds Committee’s request to the Minister for Primary Industries to declare Celtis Sinensis a noxious weed. If the Minister approves the request, which will give the City more powers to control Celtis, more information will be provided
to residents.
Where can I get further information about Celtis sinensis?
NSW DPI - Noxious and Environmental Weed Control Handbook
Website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC - Pesticides Publications
Tel: 131 555
Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au
Weeds Australia
Website: www.weeds.org.au
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Last Updated: Wednesday 29 April, 2009
