Identifying a Berry Tree in Houston: Small Purplish Sweet Fruit

A 25–35 ft tree in a Houston yard with small leaves and sweet purplish berries attracts dozens of mourning doves. The owner thought it was an oak, but oaks have acorns, not berries.

Likely Candidates

• Sugarberry / Hackberry (Celtis laevigata) – small, sweet, purple-black drupes; birds love them; common in Texas.
• Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana) – small, sweet, black fruit; but leaves are larger, leathery.
• Mulberry (Morus spp.) – but fruit is compound, not single berries.
• Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) – small red berries, not purple.

How to Confirm

1. Email photos (leaves, fruit, bark, whole tree) to jimhyland@yahoo.com.
2. Contact Houston urban foresters:
   • Mickey Merritt: (713) 688-8931, mmerritt@tfs.tamu.edu
   • Dallas Singleton: (713) 688-8932, dsingleton@tfs.tamu.edu

Bird activity is a great clue—many native berries are bird-dispersed.