# Common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

> An elm-like tree with a broad arching crown and gray bark covered in distinctive corky warts and ridges. The rough leaves turn plain yellow in fall and small sweet purple berries hang on through winter for birds. It shrugs off drought, flooding, wind, salt and pollution, is immune to Dutch elm disease, and is one of the toughest shade trees for streets and parking lots; the wood is soft and ice can break limbs.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/celtis-occidentalis · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Hackberry, Northern hackberry
- Family: Cannabaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 15 m; spread 14 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 150 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 3 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Low water
- Soil: Extremely adaptable: clay, loam, sand, rocky and alkaline soils, wet or dry
- Native range: Southern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba south through the Midwest and Appalachians to North Carolina, Oklahoma and the Dakotas.

**Benefits:** Shade, Fast canopy, Drought tolerant, Flood tolerant, Salt tolerant, Wildlife, Birds, Pollinators, Edible, Long lived

**Good for:** Street tree, Yard shade, parks, Windbreak

**Watch out for:** Weak wood, Messy fruit

## Care

Easy to transplant into almost any soil in full sun. Water for the first season, then little is needed. Prune when dormant. Nipple galls and witches' broom are common but cosmetic; woolly aphids can drip honeydew.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native to southern Ontario, Quebec and a pocket in Manitoba.); United States (Native across the Midwest and eastern US from the Dakotas and Oklahoma to New England and North Carolina (more than 15 states).)
- **Recommended:** Toronto, ON, Canada (On Toronto's list of species planted on streets (native to Ontario).); Los Angeles, CA, United States (On the City Plants (Los Angeles) Street Tree Species List); Denver, CO, United States (On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List); Boston, MA, United States (On the City of Boston Urban Forestry Division recommended public street trees list); Portland, OR, United States (On Portland's approved list for 6.0 to 8.4 ft planting strips without high-voltage lines.); Seattle, WA, United States (Offered as a street tree (8 ft+ planting strip) in Seattle's Trees for Neighborhoods 2026 program.)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/celtis-occidentalis/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/hackberry/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/CEOC
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_occidentalis