Unique Features:  This is a durable and adaptable North American tree.  The hackberry grows at a moderate to fast rate, depending on moisture and soil. The flowers are insignificant and the fruit, while edible, is best left for the birds. In prehistoric times people did eat hackberries, and there is even evidence of hackberries being some of the earliest preserved foods. Over time the trees develop thick, ridged and warty bark to help conserve moisture during drought and serve as insulation during cold winters. Most hackberries in our area develop leaf galls, which don’t hurt the tree but are cosmetically unappealing.  Appreciate your hackberry from a distance.