Vick, Albert F. W.
Carya ovata (P. Mill.) K. Koch
Shagbark hickory
Juglandaceae (Walnut Family)
This is the hickory with
bark that peels in long, tough curls off the straigt trunk. It is a large
tree growing 60-80 ft., and sometimes reaching 120 ft. in height. The
tree maintains its central
stem high into the narrow,
oblong crown. The bright, yellow-green, pinnately-compound leaves become golden in early fall, eventually drying to a warm bronze. The thick-shelled hickory nuts are edible.
Wild trees and improved cultivated varieties produce commercial hickory nuts. Carolina Hickory (var.
australis (Ashe) Little), a variety found in southeastern mountains, has small lance-shaped leaflets and small nuts. The name hickory is from pawcohiccora, an Algonquian word for the oily food removed from pounded kernels steeped in boiling water. This sweet hickory milk was used in cooking corn cakes and hominy. Pioneers made a yellow dye from the inner bark. The nickname Old Hickory was given by his backwoods militia to General Andrew Jackson (afterwards our seventh President) because he was tough as hickory.
Image Gallery:
4 photo(s) available
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Green , Brown
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DE , GA , IL , IN , IA , KS , KY , LA , ME , MD , MA , MI , MN , MS , MO , NE , NH , NJ , NY , NC , ND , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VT , VA , WV , WI , DC
Canada: ON ,
QC Native Distribution: S.w. ME to c. MI & s.e. MN, s. to c. GA, e. TX, e. KS & s.e. NE
Native Habitat: Shaded woods, Stream, river banks, Swamps, Flood plains, bottomland
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N) Growing Conditions
Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Dry
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Well-drained, fertile soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay.
Conditions Comments: Tough to transplant, because of a large
taproot, and slow to grow. Sensitive to disturbance once established. Undisturbed trees are fairly disease resistant. Shadbark creates considerable litter from
bark plate, leafstalk and
nut husks. The similar but larger shellbark hickory, Carya laciniosa, is a bottomland species with a more central distribution. It is faster growing.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Long-living, Shade
tree, Attractive
Use Wildlife: Squirrels and birds relish the seeds and catkins. Fruit-birds, Fruit-mammals, Nesting site, Cover, Substrate-insectivorous birds
Use Food: Fruits-nutrition
Use Other: Shagbark hickory is a very strong and hard wood that was used to make spokes for wooden wheels used on carriages and carts. (Hosie)
The inner
bark produces a yellow dye, which was patented in the 18th century. (Kershaw)
The fuel value of Shagbark is higher than that of any other North American wood except Locust. A cord of Hickory is almost the equivalent in thermal units of a ton of anthracite, and even today costs less. (Peattie)
Interesting Foliage: yes
Fragrant Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds
2012-05-12
