"The tree so tough in can grow in the middle of a gravel road"

The common hackberry is particularly resilient, making it ideal for use in situations where other trees will not thrive. A tree of simple beauty, it is being used more and more widely as a landscape specimen.

As a young tree, the hackberry is roughly pyramidal. As it matures, it takes on a vase-shaped profile, with arching branches much like the American elm. In fact, it is commonly used as a replacement for that tree where Dutch elm disease is a problem. It can reach 100 feet in height but usually does not exceed 60 feet in culture. The bark is gray-brown with characteristic corky ridges. The deciduous leaves are elmlike and bright green with toothed edges. They become yellow in the fall. The berries ripen in midfall and vary in color from red to dark purple.