Habitat: Although preferring moist, low-lying woods, this species also grows in dry, heavy soils or sandy, rocky soils, withstanding both alkaline and acid conditions. It is moderately fast-growing in good soils, hardy to zones 2 to 9 and can live up to 200 years.
Diseases: This species is 
resistant to Dutch elm disease and is often used as
a replacement for the American
elm tree (Ulmus americana). Although the hackberry suffers from
no serious pest or diseases, insect-caused nipple galls on the leaf surface
and clusters of upright branches forming witches' brooms, caused by insect
mites and powdery mildew, often destroy the aesthetic appearance of the
trees. The former can be controlled by spraying, and the latter-almost always
associated with a tiny gall mite and powdery mildew fungus-can be removed
by pruning. The hackberry lace bug, a sap feeder on the underside of the
leaf surface, may cause bleaching of the leaves. In the fall, the adult
insect sometimes bites humans, which may become a minor nuisance.
Distribution: Native to all of Iowa, this species is widely distributed throughout the eastern US, and just into extreme southeast Canada.
