Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit:
Size Class: 72-100 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Red
Bloom Time: Mar

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MO , MS , OK , TN , TX
Native Distribution: S.w. IN, c. IL, MO & s.e. KS, s. to c. OK, Edwards Plateau, s. TX & LA
Native Habitat: Rocky, upland forests; well-drained slopes
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Variable. Rocky, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay.
Conditions Comments: One of the most adaptable of all hickories but prefers thinner, well-drained areas. Difficult to transplant because of a large taproot.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Shade tree, Fall conspicuous
Use Wildlife: Substrate-insectivorous birds, Cover, Nesting site, Fruit-birds. Starvation browse for deer; nuts eaten.
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Serves as a primary host for some magnificent moths, including the luna, funeral dagger, and giant regal. Banded hairstreak.

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Carya texana is a larval host and/or nectar source for:

Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) Larval Host Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Most easily grown from fresh seed sown immediately after collection or stratified and sown in spring. Increase by hardwood cuttings is usually successful.
Seed Collection: Collect nuts from September to November. Husks usually dry and split open by themselves when the nuts are mature. Persistent husks can be removed with a corn sheller.
Seed Treatment: Embyro dormancy can be overcome by moist stratification at 33-40 degrees for 30-150 days. Older seeds require less stratification.
Commercially Avail: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Pineywoods Native Plant Center - Nacogdoches, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Austin, TX

Bibliography

Bibref 318 - Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski
Bibref 291 - Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. & K.C. Bender
Bibref 297 - Trees of Central Texas (1984) Vines, Robert A.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Carya texana in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Carya texana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Carya texana