There are numerous small bushy trees popping up all over my property. They appear to be sprouting from tree roots rather than seeds. There's a tree adjacent to a wild area that is probably the culprit. I've included a picture of the leaves of the tree and two of the small plants. I've been unable to find anything on the web for wild trees of Ontario. Could anyone identify it? I suspect that if the offending tree is cut down, there will probably be even more sprouts. Thanks!
Thanks for the reply. The leaves look similar, but the online pictures show somewhat shiny leaves on the hackberry and the leaves on my tree are very dull. Hackberry seems to be a desirable tree, and mine would not be considered so. I've never seen any seeds or berries on this one or its larger offspring. When I've dug out some of the very small plants (2-3" high), I couldn't get to the bottom of the root. They have to be sprouting from a tree root. It's a puzzle!
There are about 60 species of Celtis, random pictures on the internet showing a member of the genus other than the one you have do not demonstrate that your tree does not belong to the same genus.
While the hackberry attracts birds, and is a butterfly host plant, I've personally never seen a pretty one. Here in Georgia, the tops die out of the tree, they're prone to splitting, and not an ideal landscape tree. If you have room at the back of the lot for one of these... Definitely move it. If you must cut the root... probably grow anyway...
I agree with stone. This particular tree has no redeeming qualities other than as a potential habitat tree. It requires a chain saw and Roundup for the sprouts coming from its very long roots.
