Fun Facts About Hackberries

Hackberry – Sturdy Shade Plus Some Surprises

Maybe you have heard of the Hackberry tree, but never thought of it as a food source. The Hackberry tree is one of the 100 most common trees in the United States. It can survive in a multitude of climates and weather conditions. Curious about how this amazing shade tree can be used for food? Keep reading to find out.

What is it?

The rugged Hackberry tree is tall, with a large spreading crown and nice arching branches that provide welcome relief from the summer heat. The Hackberry tree resembles an elm tree from a distance, which makes sense since it is part of the elm family. The branches tend to droop, giving mature trees a cylindrical shape along with evenly spread branches.

The mature bark is light gray, rough, and cork-like. Its fresh-looking light green foliage turns a lemon yellow in the fall season. The tree's small fruit turns from orange-red to purple when it ripens, but you won't get to enjoy their color too long because they are quickly devoured by birds looking for a sweet treat. The Hackberry tree is a good choice for new home construction that needs shade quickly and is a very forgiving tree in urban conditions.

History

Celtis is a genus of about 60 to 70 species of deciduous trees widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in southern Europe, southern and eastern Asia, and southern and central North America, south to central Africa, and northern and central South America. The genus is present in the fossil record at least since the Miocene of Europe.

Hackberries are native to the flood plains of the eastern United States. As such, the Hackberry is one of the toughest and most adaptable trees around. It grows fast and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, though it prefers moist, well-drained soil. It's a good choice for beginning gardeners since it requires little care outside of what Mother Nature provides.

Health Benefits

Native Americans valued common Hackberry for medicinal, food, and ceremonial purposes. Medicinally, the bark was used as a gynecological aid that could induce spontaneous miscarriage, regulate menstrual cycles, and treat venereal diseases. Bark decoctions were also taken for sore throats.

Fun Fact

The common Hackberry was used as the fuel source for the altar fire at peyote ceremonies, prayer ceremonies that utilized the hallucinogenic peyote cactus. At the beginning of each of the four stages of the ceremony, the altar fire was replenished with common Hackberry wood.  In situations that we may encounter more often, Hackberry has been used as an ornamental tree and in windbreaks. Hackberry is also planted to line streets especially in the mid-west states. It's tolerance to a wide range of soil and moisture conditions makes it perfect for this and to help prevent erosion during heavy weather.

How to Eat

Native Americans used the fruits to flavor meat in a similar manner as black pepper. The drupes of common Hackberry were mixed with fat and corn to form porridge or crushed to add flavor to foods. They were also pounded into a paste, molded onto a stick and baked over an open fire. Most uses today for the fruit of the Hackberry tree is centered on jelly or wine making. If you're lucky enough to be able to forage for this fruit, and have time and patience to pick out the rather large seeds, you will produce a delightful product.