Hackberry might be the most underrated native tree in North America. It grows fast (2–3 feet per year), lives up to 200 years, laughs at terrible soil, and quietly supports an enormous web of wildlife. At least 29 bird species eat its tiny cherry-like fruit. Five butterfly species use it as a host plant, meaning their caterpillars literally cannot survive without it. And the fruit? It’s edible for people too, with a long history of human use going back thousands of years. (More on that in a moment.) Hackberry deserves a much better reputation than its name suggests.
Is hackberry a good choice for my yard?
Yes, if…
- You want to support butterflies in a big way. Hackberry is the sole host plant for five butterfly species. Without it, their caterpillars have nothing to eat.
- You have difficult soil. Clay, sand, rocky, alkaline, acidic: hackberry handles it all without complaint.
- You want a shade tree that grows fast. At 2–3 feet per year, hackberry fills in quickly and provides generous shade with a wide, spreading canopy.
- You want to feed birds for decades. Over 29 species eat hackberry fruit, including cedar waxwings, robins, cardinals, and even woodpeckers.
- You live almost anywhere in the eastern two-thirds of North America. That’s one of the biggest native ranges of any tree on the continent.
- You’re curious about edible native plants. Hackberry fruit has been eaten by people for thousands of years.
Skip it if…
- Cosmetic perfection is a must. Hackberry can develop nipple galls (I know, the name is so weird! They are harmless bumps on leaves) and witches’ broom (dense twig clusters). Neither hurts the tree, but they’re visible.
- You need a small tree. Hackberry gets big: 40 to 60 feet tall and wide. If you need something compact, this isn’t it.
- You want to plant it in full shade. Hackberry does best in full sun to part shade. Deep shade slows its growth significantly.
- You’re in the far West. Hackberry’s native range is eastern and central. It won’t thrive in the Pacific Northwest or Mountain West.
Why hackberry matters
It’s a butterfly nursery tree
Hackberry is the host plant for five butterfly species. That means female butterflies lay their eggs on hackberry leaves, and the caterpillars feed on those leaves as they grow. No hackberry, no caterpillars. No caterpillars, no butterflies. Here are four butterflies that rely on this native tree to survive:
What is a host plant?
A host plant is an insect’s nursery plant. It’s where butterflies and moths lay eggs and what the caterpillars eat as they grow.
Beyond those four, the hackberry’s Celtis genus supports roughly 43 caterpillar species in the mid-Atlantic region alone, including the io moth and white-marked tussock moth. That makes hackberry one of the most important host plants for butterflies and moths east of the Rockies, right up there with oaks.
It’s a bird buffet
Hackberry fruit ripens in late summer and persists through winter, feeding birds exactly when they need it. Cedar waxwings, American robins, northern cardinals, gray catbirds, brown thrashers, hermit thrushes, northern mockingbirds, wild turkeys, and northern bobwhites all eat hackberry fruit. Even yellow-bellied sapsuckers (a crazy name for a woodpecker you wouldn’t expect to see eating fruit) go for hackberries.
What is hackberry’s native range?
Hackberries are native to 80% of the United States and more than half of Canada. Unless you live in the westernmost part of North America, you can plant a hackberry.
Are hackberry fruit edible?
Yes! Hackberry fruit is edible for humans and has been a food source for thousands of years. The fruit is botanically a drupe (a botanical name for stone fruit), with a thin layer of flesh surrounding a hard-shelled pit. The pit itself contains a nutritious kernel that’s rich in calories, fat, protein, and calcium. Hackberries are tiny, so you can eat the whole thing! Crunch right through the pit to get to the kernel inside.
What do hackberries taste like?
Descriptions range from “like a date” to “like a tart cherry” to “not worth the trouble.” Sweetness varies dramatically from tree to tree. The best advice comes from native gardening expert Carolyn Harstad in her book Go Native: “You be the judge.”
Native Americans across the continent used hackberry fruit extensively. The Kiowa mashed berries into a paste, shaped it around sticks, and roasted them over fire. The Pawnee and Omaha mixed ground hackberry with fat and corn. Archaeologists have recovered hackberry seeds by the thousands from sites in Texas, some dating back centuries. For more on native plants you can eat, check out our edible native plants article.
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To quote the fantastic native expert Carolyn Harstad again: “Hackberry will accept nearly any growing condition.” So there you go—plant away!
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How to grow hackberry
Hackberries are one of the easiest native trees to plant. Some native trees have a reputation for being hard to grow (I’m talking about you, Franklin trees!) Hackberries are exactly the opposite: they are almost impossible to plant in the wrong spot.
Or, to quote the fantastic native gardener Carolyn Harstad again:
“Hackberry will accept nearly any growing condition.”
So there you go—plant away!
Where to plant
Full sun is best. Part sun works. Just avoid full shade. Beyond that, hackberry genuinely doesn’t care. Clay soil, sandy soil, rocky soil, rich loam are all fine. Moist ground, dry ground: both fine. The natural pH of hackberry habitat is around 7.1 (neutral), but it handles acidic and alkaline soils equally well. It even shrugs off urban conditions like compacted soil, heat, salt spray, and pollution.
When to plant
Fall or early spring, while the tree is dormant.
Spacing
Give hackberry room. Plan for 40–60 feet of spread at maturity. Space trees 30–50 feet apart if planting a group.
Watering
Water deeply once a week through the first growing season. After that, hackberry is remarkably self-sufficient. It handles drought well once established.
Mulching
A 2–3 inch layer of mulch around the base helps retain moisture during establishment. Keep mulch a few inches away from the trunk—no mulch volcanoes!
Pruning
Prune in late winter while dormant. In the first 10–20 years, focus on creating wide branch angles (around 120°) and removing any vertical branches that compete with the central leader. Hackberry can develop weak crotches if left unpruned, so a little early attention pays off.
Beginner Tip
If you’re nervous about planting a tree, start with hackberry. It is genuinely hard to get wrong. Pick a sunny spot, dig the hole, water it through the first summer and dry spells, and walk away. Hackberry will take it from there.
Where hackberry shines in your yard
- Shade tree: Hackberry’s wide, spreading canopy makes it one of the best native shade trees. Plant it where you want shade within a few years, not a few decades.
- Butterfly garden anchor: No butterfly garden is complete without host plants. Hackberry hosts five species and feeds dozens more. It’s the backbone of a serious butterfly habitat.
- Difficult sites: Got a spot with terrible soil, inconsistent moisture, or urban stress? Hackberry thrives where most trees give up.
- Wildlife corridor: Plant hackberry along property lines or in back corners to create a food-and-shelter corridor for birds and butterflies.
- Windbreak: Its fast growth and dense canopy make it useful in windbreak plantings, especially in the Great Plains, where it’s native.
Cultivars to consider (and related species)
There aren’t a ton of hackberry cultivars, but the ones that exist solve specific problems:
- ‘Prairie Pride’: The top pick for looks (but not fruit). Dense, uniform oval crown, thick dark green leaves, and most importantly: resistant to witches’ broom. Reaches about 50 feet tall by 40 feet wide. Less fruit than the straight species.
- ‘Prairie Sentinel’: A narrow, columnar form (45 feet tall but only 12 feet wide!). Great for tight spaces, along driveways, or as a street tree where you need height without spread.
- Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata): A closely related species native to the southeastern U.S. Similar wildlife value, smoother leaves, and a preference for moist bottomland soils. If you’re in the Deep South, sugarberry may be a better regional fit.
- Dwarf hackberry (Celtis tenuifolia): A small, multi-trunked species (3–14 feet tall) native to the Southeast. Same butterfly and bird value in a much smaller package. Hard to find at nurseries but worth seeking out if you need a compact option.
What is a cultivar?
Cultivar is short for CULTIvated VARieties. Cultivars are plants selected for traits like color, size, or disease resistance. Useful and sometimes stunning...but some lose the scent, shape, or timing wildlife depends on. Plant straight species when possible.
FAQs
Why is it called hackberry?
Wow. “Hackberry.” You have to wonder how popular this tree would be if it were called ‘Birdsong Tree’ or ‘Butterfly Nursery Tree.’
“Hackberry” comes from the old Scottish word “Hagberry,” which means “bird cherry.” Which is exactly what this tree should be called. Bird Cherry is the perfect name for this beautiful tree, thanks to its tiny cherries, which are bird favorites.
Fortunately, common names are given by the generations before, so we can all find a way to change Hackberry to something that does this incredible tree more justice—Bird Cherry gets our vote. To ensure you’re getting the right tree, look for the Latin name Celtis occidentalis (each species of plants only have ONE Latin name, which is why they were created in the first place.)
Do hackberry trees get messy?
The fruit can drop onto sidewalks and patios, and the tiny psyllids can be a minor nuisance in fall. If you plant hackberry over a patio, you’ll notice. But the birds usually eat the fruit before it becomes a real problem, and the psyllids disappear after the first hard freeze.
How big do hackberries get?
Big. Expect 40–60 feet tall and wide in most landscapes, with some trees reaching 75–100 feet in ideal conditions. Plan for it. If you want the same wildlife value in a smaller package, look at dwarf hackberry (Celtis tenuifolia) instead.
What is this cluster twig thing in my hackberry?
Spot a firework of tiny branches in your hackberry? That is what’s called a witches’ broom.
Hackberries and witches’ brooms come from one of the strangest ecological relationships in the tree world. A tiny eriophyid mite (Eriophyes celtis) and a powdery mildew fungus (Sphaerotheca phytoptophila) team up to hijack the tree’s growth, creating dense, bushy clusters of dwarfed twigs. It does indeed look like it’s made for tiny, fairy-sized witches:
A single large hackberry can carry these brooms without breaking a sweat. The mite-fungus partnership triggers the tree to grow the brooms, and the mite lives inside them. Scientists have studied this for over a century and still aren’t entirely sure why the tree doesn’t simply fight it off. The going theory: hackberry grows so fast and so vigorously that the brooms are barely a nuisance, like a bodybuilder ignoring a mosquito bite.
Where can I find a hackberry tree to plant?
Now that you want a hackberry, let’s set you up for success in finding one. Sadly, most conventional nurseries do not stock this native tree (I know…it’s so silly how many non-native plants are better known).
To make finding a hackberry easier, here are four sourcing ideas:
Where can I find seeds and plants?
Finding native plants can be challenging (we partly blame King Louis XVI.) To make it easier, we’ve assembled four sourcing ideas.
300+ native nurseries make finding one a breeze
Explore 100+ native-friendly eCommerce sites
Every state and province has a native plant society; find yours
Online Communities
Local Facebook groups are a great plant source
What are good pairings for hackberry trees?
Hackberry’s adaptability means it pairs well with a huge range of native plants. These companions look great alongside it and share similar easy-going growing needs:
Pairs well with
Hackberry is one of the most generous trees in North America. It grows fast, asks for almost nothing, feeds birds and butterflies for decades, and even offers fruit you can eat yourself. It thrives in soil that would defeat most trees, laughs at drought, and shrugs off urban conditions. The only thing holding it back is a lousy name. Don’t let that stop you. Plant a hackberry and give your yard a butterfly nursery, a bird buffet, and a shade tree that’ll outlast you. We’ve included hackberry in our Best Native Trees for Front Yards and Best Native Plants for Birds round-ups for good reason. If you’re new to native plants, our What is a native plant? page is a great place to start. Happy planting!
Sources
- Black, Steve, ed. “Nature – Hackberry.” Texas Beyond History, Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin. Accessed 2025.
- Butler, Jerry. “Hackberry Emperor, Asterocampa celtis (Boisduval & Leconte).” EENY-453. University of Florida IFAS Extension. Revised November 18, 2024.
- Gucker, Corey L. “Celtis occidentalis.” Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 2011.
- Hall, Donald W. “Tawny Emperor Butterfly, Asterocampa clyton (Boisduval & LeConte).” EENY-528. University of Florida IFAS Extension, 2012.
- Harstad, Carolyn. Go Native! Gardening with Native Plants and Wildflowers in the Lower Midwest. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999, 230–231.
- Iowa State University Extension. “Hackberry Psyllid.” Yard and Garden, March 14, 2025.
- Iowa State University Extension. “Hackberry.” Iowa Trees. Accessed 2025.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. “Celtis occidentalis.” University of Texas at Austin. Accessed 2025.
- Missouri Botanical Garden. “Celtis occidentalis – Plant Finder.” Accessed 2025.
- Morton Arboretum. “Hackberry.” Last updated November 25, 2025.
- Nelson, Gil. Best Native Plants for Southern Gardens: A Handbook for Gardeners, Homeowners, and Professionals. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2010.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Celtis occidentalis.” NC State University. Accessed 2025.
- Weisenhorn, Julie, Kathy Zuzek, and Rebecca Koetter. “Common Hackberry.” University of Minnesota Extension. Accessed 2025.
- Wikipedia. “Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis).” Accessed 2025.
