It is a tree you will find in many parks in the United States. Small light green singular female and clusters of male flowers appear in spring. ... A mature hackberry tree- hardy and durable, this tree makes an excellent urban species. Mistletoe is an effective colonizer of hackberry, which can kill a tree over a period of time. Hackberries are outstanding trees for wildlife and foragers. In the fall, its small fruits turn between orange, red, and even purple. The wood of hackberry has never been used for lumber, primarily because of the tree's softness and an almost immediate propensity to rot when in contact with the elements. Introduction of Hackberry Scientific name - Celtis. Its range is throughout the Eastern US. The Most Under-Rated Incredible Edible Tree. They are truly magnificent full sized canopy trees that grace the forests of the Northeast and the world. They can be so crunchy at times that it is hard to chew them. They can be very fast growing in decent soil. The bark of hackberry provides year-round interest in landscapes. This crunchiness is best overcome with a little processing. The berries are picked by birds (or foragers) before they hit the ground. It is no wonder that early people were eating hackberries. The hackberry fruit is a sweet treat for humans and wildlife alike! A group of kids I was working with named hackberry ‘the rougher bumper tree’. There are sprays available if you care to reduce this cosmetic problem. Undo. If you have this tree, plant it where it will be protected from mechanical injury. Hackberry tree is important source of food for the forest animals. The tree is very susceptible to damage in an ice storm. He is a member of the Society of American Foresters. You can opt-out at any time. The range extends south from western Nebraska to northeastern Colorado and northwestern Texas, and then east to Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, with scattered occurrences in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. The hackberry tree is certainly one of the most important food sources for wildlife in North America. These fruits can stay on the tree for several months at the time. It establishes easily and grows well in urban landscapes because of its wide soil adaptability and its tolerance of heat, drought, salt spray, wind, ice, and short-term flooding. Skilled pruning is required several times during the first 15 years of life to prevent the formation of weak branch crotches and weak multiple trunks. However, Celtis occidentalis is a forgiving urban tree and is considered tolerant of most soil and moisture conditions. They are small and high up. The mature bark is light gray, bumpy, and corky, while its small, berry-like fruit turns from orange-red to purple and is relished by birds. Top end size is smaller than most oaks but still it typically grows quite large. Female flowers give way to round, berry-like drupes containing single seeds. Hackberries belong on our city streets, hedgerows, parks, and surrounding livestock and poultry yards. The bark looks like millions of skinny ridges that are layered like sedimentary rock. I collect seed at the end of winter and plant in fertile, weed free soil about an inch deep and an inch apart. Common Names: Common hackberry, sugarberry, nettle tree, beaverwood, northern hackberry. Many cities have chosen to plant them because of their ability to withstand drought and flooding. Hackberry's bizarre bark alone makes it worth growing, but there is so much more to these resilient native trees. Even on monoecious plants-those having both "male" and "female" flowers on the same plant, oftentimes the union of pollen from one tree with ovary of that same tree yields no viable seed, ie. However, branches may break out from the trunk if proper pruning and training are not conducted early in the life of the tree. Caches of hackberries have been found in ancient cave sites. The Tree is a deciduous tree, it will be up to 25 m (82 ft) high. Hackberries have a thin, very sweet purple skin surrounding a crunchy shell with a tiny nut inside.