Adopt or gift a Hackberry tree

Scientific name: Celtis australis
Common name: Hackberry

Grows in deciduous and shrub forests from the Mediterranean to the southern Alps and Asia Minor. Appreciated as a tree for street decoration. Its leaves, 5 to 12 cm long, have a long tip. The upper page is covered with short, shaggy hairs. It is a slow-growing, long-lived tree that can become centuries old under optimal conditions. Thanks to its strong roots, it also does well in dry, stony karst soils.

According to a popular legend, it was Lucifer, while falling from Heaven, who brought the honeyberry tree to Earth, and it seems that he clutched a branch of it with a strong grip during his descent. Having the leaves of the shrub firmly planted on its claws, it is said that, these felt Lucifer's load of hatred and malign disobedience, and thus took the shape of his claws.

The sweetish-tasting fruits are used to bake desserts especially in South Tyrol. Its hard and elastic wood is suitable for making fishing rods, whips, and musical instruments.