tree

Southern nettle tree

Celtis australis

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 46°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -15°C

Waterlogging tolerance

2/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

10–18 m tall, 10 m spread

Seasonal interest

Summer shade · Green

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Large at maturity; seedlings can be weedy.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name: Celtis australis L.
Family: Cannabaceae (Rosales)
Rank and status: species · accepted
GBIF record: Taxon 2984492

Recorded native range: Portugal Continental

Recorded as introduced in: Argentina Northeast, Austria, Baleares, Belgium, Canary Is., Corse (Corsica), Cyprus, Flemish Region, Germany, Hungary, Madeira, New South Wales and 5 further regions

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Celtis australis, the European nettle tree, European hackberry, Mediterranean hackberry, lote tree, southern nettle tree, or honeyberry, is a deciduous tree native to Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor.

Description from Wikipedia — Celtis australis (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

United Kingdom: climate-suitable
United States: climate-suitable
Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Wikimedia Commons contributor · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Where to buy

Real retailers serving UK. Garden Forward publishes no prices of its own — each link opens the retailer's own search results, where their current price and stock are shown.

Search Ashridge Nurseries for Celtis australis
Bare-root trees, hedging and fruit in the dormant season.
Search Sarah Raven for Celtis australis
Perennials, bulbs and seed, delivered across the UK.
Search Farmer Gracy for Celtis australis
Bulbs and perennials shipped direct from Dutch growers.
Search Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants for Celtis australis
Specialist hardy perennial nursery.
Search Marshalls Garden for Celtis australis
Fruit, vegetable plants and seed.

No affiliate relationship is in place with these retailers, so nothing here earns Garden Forward a commission. Search links checked 2026-09-17. Availability of a species is never a reason it is recommended.

Companion palettes

Not currently in a sample palette.

Climate-resilient alternatives

Data sources

Taxonomy and native range: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Species description: Wikipedia — Celtis australis
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons contributor · Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Growing guidance: Practitioner horticultural estimates pending expert review

Botanical record checked 2026-09-17 · growing guidance last reviewed 2026-06-01 · confidence medium

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.