Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis

Height: 40-60´
Habit: : vase-shaped, irregular

Landscape Value:

The hackberry is a tough and adaptable tree especially suited for the dry and windy Plains states. It is also tolerant of city conditions and can be planted in almost any soil type. This shade tree inevitably carries a variety of diseases and pests. A "nipple-gall" usually disfigures the leaves, and "witches' brooms" often produce unsightly, broomlike clusters of branches. Although these problems are usually not fatal, they detract from a tree's appearance. The hackberry is best left to parks and open spaces rather than to urban yards.

Seasonal Characteristics:

• Summer: Dull green leaves that are normally spotted with nipple-gall provide shade but are not particularly attractive. The irregular, vase-shaped habit does not hold the same beauty as that of the American elm, and could be considered displeasing. Many lower branches droop down haphazardly.
  
  
• Fall: Some yellow fall color is possible but variable. The small, round, purple fruit of the Hackberry arrives in September and October. Birds love this date-flavored fruit and stained sidewalks, as well as anything else that happens to be beneath their roost or flight path, are a common concern. The bark is uniquely "warty" and could possibly provide some interest.

Points of Interest:

The wood of the hackberry is used for cheap furniture, crates, and cabinets. Native Americans flavored their food with the berries, and the tree provides an important food source for wildlife in its native habitat. A majestic hackberry, one of the larger specimens in Urbana, is located in the northeast corner of the Arboretum.

Native Range:

Illinois, north central and eastern U.S. south to Tennessee and Oklahoma. Hackberries are usually found on stream banks or in canyons and valleys where there is adequate water.

Link to Common Hackberry