[citation needed] The fruit is a small drupe 6–10 millimetres (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) in diameter, edible in many species, with a dryish but sweet, sugary consistency, reminiscent of a date.

[2][3] Members of the genus are present in the fossil record as early as the Miocene of Europe, and Paleocene of North America and eastern Asia.

[4][5] The derivation of the name of this genus, Celtis, is from a Latin word for an unrelated plant, the "lotus tree" of North Africa.

[1][6][9] Some species, including common hackberry (C. occidentalis) and C. brasiliensis, are honey plants and a pollen source for honeybees of lesser importance.

Chinese hackberry (C. sinensis) is suited for bonsai culture; a magnificent specimen in Daegu-myeon is one of the natural monuments of South Korea.