Celtis iguanaea

Iguana Hackberry (Celtis iguanaea)
Scientific name	Celtis iguanaea
Common names	Iguana Hackberry; Desert Hackberry
Genus	Celtis
Family	Cannabaceae
Order	Rosales
Habit	Spiny, semi-deciduous shrub or small tree
Fruit	Orange to red drupe
Native range	Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America

Celtis iguanaea is a spiny hackberry of tropical thickets and forest margins. Celtis iguanaea is the accepted species name in the GBIF taxonomic match.^[1] Kew's maintained treatment places its native range across the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America and records several historical synonyms, including Celtis ehrenbergiana, Celtis spinosa, Celtis aculeata, Momisia iguanaea, Rhamnus iguanaea, and Ziziphus iguanea.^[2]

Description

This species is described as a spiny, semi-deciduous shrub or small tree. Reported dimensions vary substantially: one account gives roughly 3 m by 2 m, another commonly gives 6–9 m, and an institutional record reports a size of about 10 feet. These figures describe different settings and should not be combined into a single fixed mature size.^[3][4][5]

The plant occurs in dry or wet thickets, gallery forest, thorny scrub, and tropical coastal hammock. Its stout recurved spines are a practical reason to give an established specimen room away from paths and working areas.^[2][3][4][5]

Cultivation

Soil and water

The native settings include both dry thickets and wetter gallery-forest or hammock conditions. Start with a well-drained soil that retains some organic matter rather than a permanently waterlogged site: the species is described with humus-rich moist soil preferences, while another account lists both dry and moist conditions and drought tolerance.^[3][4] This combination supports regular moisture while a young plant establishes, followed by irrigation adjustments that track soil moisture instead of keeping the root zone saturated.

Sun and humidity

Use full sun as the starting exposure. The reported habitats include thorny scrub and tropical coastal hammock, and the cultivation descriptions favor sun rather than deep shade.^[3][4][5] As a cultivation inference from the combination of moist-soil preference and drought-tolerant habitat, protect a newly planted specimen from severe drying until its roots are established, then allow the site to move toward the species' documented dry-season conditions without sacrificing drainage.

Seasonal changes

Celtis iguanaea is semi-deciduous, so foliage can thin during a dry interval rather than remaining equally dense year-round.^[3] The Wildflower Center's regional record gives a May–August bloom window; use that as a local reference rather than a universal calendar for the entire native range.^[5] Keep young plants evenly supplied with water during active establishment and reduce irrigation only as the plant and soil show that the dry-season cycle is being tolerated.

Propagation

Species-specific seed guidance calls for ripe seed sown in a sunny nursery bed. That treatment gives emergence in 28–42 days and quick seedling growth.^[3] Treat 28–42 days as a reported planning range, not a guaranteed germination schedule: fruit maturity, seed freshness, pretreatment, temperature, and nursery moisture can change the result. No grafting or rootstock method is established here, so the documented seed route is the appropriate starting point for propagation.

Flowering, fruiting, and harvest

The flowers are described as white, and one regional record places flowering from May through August.^[5] The fruit is an orange or red drupe; color is therefore a useful harvest cue, but the reported regional bloom window should not be treated as a fixed harvest date across all climates.^[4][5]

Fruit and uses

The fruit is described as a small orange drupe with a thin pulp layer around one crunchy stone. Edible fruit is reported as locally gathered, but texture and flavor vary in the descriptions and do not support a more specific tasting claim.^[3][4] These edible-use reports are not a formal food-safety assessment or a guarantee for every specimen; confirm the plant's identity and use appropriate local food-safety judgment before tasting unfamiliar fruit.

References

• ↑ [1] GBIF species match: Celtis iguanaea.

• ↑ [2] Celtis iguanaea — Plants of the World Online.

• ↑ [3] Celtis iguanaea — Useful Tropical Plants.

• ↑ [4] Celtis iguanaea — Plants For A Future Plant Database.

• ↑ [5] Celtis iguanaea — Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Image credits

• Celtis iguanaea in Cajamarca Province — LUFJARD, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons file page.