Hackberry

Leaves

Form

• Alternate in 2 rows along the twig
• Variable in size and shape
• Widest toward the asymmetrical base
• Long tapering tip
• Veins hairy on lower surface
• Lowest pair of veins originate at an acute angle just below the base of the blade
• 4 or 5 veins per side

Length

• 6–9 cm

Colour

• Upper surface deep bluish-green
• Lower surface paler

Autumn colour

• Yellow

Margin

• 15-40 teeth per side

Petiole

• Short

Buds

Form

• Ovoid, flattened, pointed
• In 2 rows along the twig, with 5 or more scales in 2 rows
• No true terminal bud; end bud originates as a lateral bud, often bent
• Leaf scars raised, semi-oval, with 3 vein scars

Length

• 6–8 mm

Twigs

Form

• Slender, covered with fine hairs
• Pith with cavities separated by transverse partitions, especially at the leaf nodes

Colour

• Green

Flowers

Form

• Small
• Pollen flowers in small clusters at the base of the new shoot
• Seed flowers single, in the axils of the new leaves

Colour

• Greenish

Structure

• Monoecious

Fruits

Form

• Berry-like, with a pitted stone
• Solitary on slender stalk, persisting on the tree in winter
• Edible
• Seed crops abundant most years

Width

• 6–8 mm

Colour

• Reddish-purple

Structure

• Drupe

Bark

Form

• Irregular narrow ridges with distinctive wart-like projections
• Stratified layers in cross-section

Colour

• Grey to light yellowish-brown

Wood

Texture

• Heavy, coarse, hard, weak

Colour

• Brown streaked with yellow

Morphology

• Attractive grain-pattern on tangential surfaces
• Ring-porous; pores, rays and annual rings easily visible

Uses

• Landscape planting
• Increasingly common as urban street tree

Size

Height

• To 15 m

Diameter

• To 50 cm

Maximum age

• 150 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Crown

• Broad, with ascending arching branches that droop at the tips

Habitat

Site

• A variety of soils

Light tolerance

• Moderately shade-tolerant

Range

• Common at Point Pelee and other localities on Lake Erie in Ontario
• Sparsely distributed in Ontario and Quebec; also reported from
  the south end of Lake Manitoba