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pignut hickory, red hickory, sweet pignut hickory
Synonyms:
Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet var. hirsuta (Ashe) Ashe ;
Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet var. megacarpa Sarg. ;
Carya glabra (P. Mill.) Sweet var. odorata (Marsh.) Little ;
Carya magnifloridana Murrill ;
Carya ovalis (Wangenh.) Sarg. var. hirsuta (Ashe) Sarg. ;
Carya ovalis (Wangenh.) Sarg. var. obcordata (Muhl. & Willd.) Sarg. ;
Carya ovalis (Wangenh.) Sarg. var. obovalis Sarg. ;
Carya ovalis (Wangenh.) Sarg. var. odorata (Marsh.) Sarg. ;
Carya ovalis (Wangenh.) Sarg. ;
Hicoria ovalis (Wangenh.) Ashe ;
Juglans glabra Miller
Description:
Tree, 15 - 22 m tall, trunk 0.3 - 0.75 m in diameter. Bark light gray, developing thin fissures with interlacing ridges. Twigs shiny, changing from green to reddish to gray. Terminal bud 0.5 - 1.5 cm long, dome-shaped, green to gray with downy hairs, outer scales dropping in autumn. Lateral buds are smaller. Leaves alternate, odd-pinnately compound, 15 - 30 cm long, with 5 - 7 leaflets. Leaflets 7 - 16 cm long, 2 - 5 cm wide, terminal leaflet largest, oblong to egg- or lance-shaped, margins sharply toothed, shiny yellow-green above, paler with hairy veins below, turning golden in fall. Foliage is aromatic when crushed. Male and female flowers on same tree (monoecious), male flowers in clusters of 3 hanging catkins, 8 - 18 cm long, female flowers in short spikes of 2 - 5. Fruit a nut surrounded by a husk, 2 - 4.5 cm long, 2 - 3.5 cm wide; husk, tan to red-brown, pear-shaped, elliptical or spherical, sometimes splitting to the base; nut sometimes 4-ribbed, sweet to mildly bitter.
Similar Species:
Carya glabra can be distinguished from other hickories by its bark that remains tight except for a few shaggy strips; fairly smooth twigs; 5 - 7 leaflets; pear-shaped, elliptical or spherical fruit with a husk that may split to the base; and small, dome-shaped terminal buds.
Carya cordiformis,
Carya laciniosa,
Carya ovata,
Carya tomentosa
Flowering:
May to June.
Habitat and Ecology:
Occasionally found in dry upland woods.
Notes:
The wood of C. glabra is used to make sporting equipment, tool handles, and furniture.
Etymology:
Carya comes from the Greek name for walnut. Glabra means smooth or without hairs.
Regional Status:
Native.
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