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Carya glabra (Pignut hickory)
Smith, R.W.

Carya glabra (P. Mill.) Sweet

Pignut hickory

Juglandaceae (Walnut Family)

USDA Symbol: cagl8

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A coarse-textured tree, 50-100 ft., with short, picturesque branches, irregular, spreading crown and thick-shelled nuts. Bark is not shaggy. Leaves are pinnately compound, the terminal leaflets considerably larger than the lower pair, turning a rich, golden-yellow color in fall.

One of the most common hickories in the southern Appalachians and an important timber source there, its wood is made into tool handles and skis. It was formerly used for wagon wheels and textile loom picker sticks because it could sustain tremendous vibration. Named in colonial times from the consumption of the small nuts by hogs. Early settlers, who also called it Broom Hickory, made brooms from narrow splits of the wood. Red Hickory (var. odorata (Marsh.) Little), a variety with nearly the same range, has the fruit husk splitting to base, usually 7 leaflets, and often shaggy bark.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf: Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit: Brown
Size Class: 72-100 ft.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Green , Brown
Bloom Time: Apr

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , VT , WV
Canada: ON
Native Distribution: S.w. NH to c. MI, n. IL, s. to c. FL, e. TX & s.e. KS
Native Habitat: Dry slopes & dunes
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Well-drained to dry, rich loams & silty clays.
Conditions Comments: Most shade tolerant hickory. Most flood intolerant hickory. Very long-lived. Difficult to transplant because of a large taproot. Nuts are bitter.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Songbirds and small mammals. Serves as a primary host for some magnificent moths.
Use Other: The tough, heavy wood makes excellent tool handles, broom handles, and sport implements. The bitter, inedible nutmeats are probably best left to pigs and wild animals. (Kershaw)

Because of its low conductivity of heat, it is prized for wagon parts, like the hub, where the heat of friction may be great.

American Hickory is the most prized wood of skiers the world over. For Hickory is stronger than steel, weight for weight, more elastic, less brittle and less heat-conductive. (Peattie)
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Luna, funeral dagger, and giant regal

Propagation

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

Find Seed or Plants

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

From the National Suppliers Directory

According to the inventory provided by Associate Suppliers, this plant is available at the following locations:

American Native Nursery - Quakertown, PA

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:

Crosby Arboretum - Picayune, MS
Longwood Gardens - Newark, DE

Bibliography

Bibref 996 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (1994) Wasowski, Sally and Andy Wasowski

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

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-06-25
Research By: TWC Staff

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