Celtis laevigata  Canyon Hackberry
DECIDUOUS TREE.  Thick, smooth, pale gray trunk, topped with a tangled crown of tiny twisted branches and a dense canopy of bright green leaves.  Leaves alternate, triangular, with irregular shallow teeth, prominent veins, and a rough, sandpapery feel.  Flowers are minute. Berries are bright orange, .5 cm, with thin flesh and a large hard seed.  In the Empires, common along the larger sand washes, where it is often one of the biggest trees.  Forms extensive thickets along the upper parts of Davidson Canyon.  This extremely valuable and long-lived tree provides dense shade, erosion control, roosting and nesting sites for birds of prey, and food for many hackberry-specific insects that nourish insectivorous birds.