Click on the images help you identify a hackberry.
Form
Height is 40 to 75 feet with a trunk diameter of 10 to 36 inches. Limbs are often crooked and angular. Crown is made up of slender, hanging branches or short, bristly, stubby twigs when growing in the forest. In the open, the crown is generally symmetrical.
Bark
Grayish brown, much roughened with prominent, short, corky ridges.
Leaf
Simple, alternate on stem, length 2 to 4 inches; with long narrow, tapering points and sharply toothed margins. Uneven at base with prominent veins, hairy on upper side. Turns yellow in autumn.
Fruit (seed)
Berrylike drupe, 1/4 to 1/3 inch wide with thin, purplish skin and sweet yellowish flesh; sometimes called sugar berry. Ripens in September; frequently hangs on tree most of winter providing an important food supply for several wildlife species.
Range
Found sparingly in the southern part of the state and in the western part northward through the Red River Valley; naturally found in flood plains but will grow on various types of soil from the poorest to the richest. Never found in pure forest stands. Moderately shade tolerant, moderately fast growing.
Wood uses
Heavy, rather soft, weak, coarse-grained, fairly durable in contact with soil, light yellow or greenish brown with narrow white sapwood. Used in the manufacture of cheap furniture, fuel, and only occasionally for lumber. It is a good shade tree and is often used in urban areas and ornamental plantings. Learn more with our planting hackberry in your yard video.