A good sized tree with fairly fast growth and excellent wildlife support. Hosts the hackberry emperor, tawny emperor, mourning cloak, and question mark butterflies, and is one of the few regional hosts for the American snout butterfly! A wide variety of birds eat the berries, including woodpeckers, grosbeaks, waxwings, and bluebirds. Prone to leaf galls and blights so generally not used as a yard tree, but this cosmetic damage rarely harms the tree.

Pollination: Self pollinating.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic

Soil Type: Loam, Sandy Loam, Clay Loam, Rocky Loam

Height: 40’-80’

Width: 40’-60’

Bloom Color: -

Bloom Time: Apr-May

Fruit: Drupes (berries) mature to red/black in the summer.

Fall Color: Yellow

Root Type: Spreading

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Hosts a wide variety of insects including the hackberry emperor, tawny emperor, mourning cloak, and question mark, and American snout butterflies, as well as many beetles, flies, and smaller insects. Berries are eaten by a wide variety of birds including game birds, woodpeckers, crows, and many songbirds.

Notes: All trees produce male flowers, female flowers, and flowers that are male and female- meaning that all trees bear fruit. Reproduce well from seed.