Hackberry is the name of about 70 species of trees and shrubs found throughout the world. Three important species grow in the United States. The common hackberry, also called the eastern hackberry or simply hackberry, grows throughout the Eastern United States and as far west as Kansas. It may stand more than 120 feet (37 meters) tall but typically grows to a height of 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 meters). The sugarberry, found in the Southeast, measures about 60 to 80 feet (18 to 24 meters) tall. The netleaf hackberry is a shrub or small tree. It grows primarily in the Western United States and may reach a height of 30 feet (9 meters).
Hackberries have smooth gray bark, often with corky warts or ridges. Their oval, pointed leaves grow in two rows. Hackberries produce round red or purple berries that ripen in fall and are eaten by squirrels and birds. The wood is yellowish and can be used for furniture.
