The hackberry is a Mediterranean tree appreciated for its important shade which brings a certain freshness in the hot hours of the day. This tree seeks light and deep soils. Ornamental tree par excellence, it can easily reach 25 meters in height. As a result, the hackberry served as a bell tower: yes… bells were suspended from its highest branches. Its flexible and resistant branches were used to strap barrels, and to make coachmen’s whips. In Sauve, a small village in the Gard, it continues to be exploited to make wooden forks used in stud farms because they do not hurt the animals. Its leaves look like nettles and are eaten in salads. Like beech, its trunk has “elephant’s foot” impastos, that is to say, widened at the base. It is not rare to see at the insertion of its branches, folds which resemble the skin of this pachyderm.
The hidden power of trees by Thierry Beaufort – Sylvotherapist, told by Magalie Rohm – Gestalt therapist