Hickory

Carya sp.

Family: Juglandaceae

Location:

found mostly in the East and middle United States

Characteristics:

medium-sized tree, up to 24 m or 80 feet tall, with a 60cm or 2 foot trunk diameter
slow-growing
twigs are stout and tough yet flexible
wood is strong, heavy, tough, and elastic
wood is often attacked by insects and decays on contact with moisture
can be divided into 3 groups: pecans, shagbarks, and pignuts

pignut hickory

Leaves:

feather-compound
toothed leaflets

pignut hickory compound leaf

Flower and Fruit (nuts):

male flowers occur in catkins during the spring
fruit occur in the form of nuts
husks usually break into 4 separate parts upon opening while walnuts remain whole
most are edible
fall in September and October
Pecans: thin husks
Shagbarks: egg-shaped, not ridged, thick and yellow nut husk
Pignuts: thin husks, yellow-powdery, ridged, nuts are sweet

pignut hickory leaflet

shagbark hickory nut in hull

shagbark hickory hull open, exposing nut

Bark:

Pecans: medium dark, closely ridged, not peeling, numerous vertical ridges
Shagbarks: light colored, very shaggy, in long, loose strips
Pignuts: pale to dark gray, smooth to furrowed, sometimes shaggy

Buds and Leaf Scars:

winter end buds are true
many bundle scars
leaf scars are large and shield-shaped

pignut hickory bark

shagbark hickory bark

Uses:

Also known as Bow Wood for the use in making archery bows. The tough, yet flexible character of the wood makes it ideal for making snowshoes. The wood can also be used for frames in birch bark canoe making. The stripped inner bark of hickory can be used for lashing. The green husks from hickory nuts can be used as fish poison. A piece of this dried hardwood can be used to make the drill and handle of a bow drill. This dense hardwood burns slowly and evenly making it ideal for slow cooking.