The Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis, is a shade tree native to North America and is a very tough, durable tree, able to withstand drought, wind, floods, and still flourish. It's not picky about soil and will grow in just about anything from a pH of 6 to 8.5, to sandy or clay, wet or dry. With regular watering and care, this tree will grow 2 to 3 feet a year.
This shade tree will get 40 to 50 feet tall and wide on the prairie. It is hardy to minus 40 degrees F or USDA Zone 3. It prefers a full-sun location, needs little care other than standard pruning and regular watering. The leaf Fall color is yellow.
The tree produces a small creamy yellow flower in May which produces a very small, black, fruit that typically feeds a variety of birds over the winter and isn't messy. In the summer, this tree will attract butterflies including to mourning cloak and the tawny emperor and serves as a host to their larvae. The tree's pea-sized berries are edible, ripening in early September. Native Americans ate the berries typically seed and all; they used the fruit as a flavoring for meat or mixed them with corn. The fruit of the hackberry is described as sweet and date-like, high in carbohydrates and proteins.1
The tree also has a leaf nipple gall typically noticed in late Summer, but no need to spray the tree. The nipple gall causes no harm to the tree. The tree and small insect that causes the gall have evolved together. Spraying the tree will only kill off the butterflies.
As a landscape tree, its history goes back to 1636 where it was first documented as a cultivated tree. It is a long-lived tree, 150 years or more depending on its care. Its wood has been used for barrel hoops, flooring, and non-weight-bearing furniture.
Written by Catherine Wissner, retired University of Wyoming Laramie County Extension Horticulturist and Laramie County Advanced Master Gardener
[1] Gilmore, Melvin Randolph (1914), Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, available for viewing at https://archive.org/details/usesofplantsbyin00gilm/page/n5/mode/2up