Celtis pallida (Desert Hackberry)

This spiny, densely branched shrub of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts occurs along washes and gravelly slopes. It is slow growing, long-lived, and semi-evergreen, depending on temperature and moisture availability. The small, dull green leaves are coarsely toothed. The inconspicuous flowers are followed by small orange fruit that provide food for birds and mammals.