Shagbark Hickory
(Wide & Flat: Alternate Arrangement |
| This 70' to 80' tall tree is found in rich soils on slopes and
valleys throughout the Commonwealth. The wood of all the hickories is heavy, hard,
and strong and used principally for tool handles. Hickory is a valuable fuel wood
and is used to give a smoked flavor to meats. Archaic uses included bow-wood,
and wheel spokes for carriages and carts. The nuts are much relished by man and
wildlife. The native Americans crushed the kernel, using the oil for cooking and
the resulting flour for bread.
|
Carya ovata (P.Mill.) K.Koch
enlarge
|
| Leaves |
| Alternate, compound, 8"-14" long, usually with
5 leaflets, dark yellowish green above, paler, often downy beneath, margins fine-toothed. |
| Twigs |
| Gray-brown to reddish brown, stout and often hairy with numerous
lenticels. Buds are large with 3 or 4 nearly smooth, dark brown, loosely fitting
outer scales and velvety inner scales; end buds 1/2" to 3/4" long. |
| Fruit |
| Nearly round, 1" to 2½" in diameter with
a thick husk that splits into 4 pieces when ripe. The usually thin-shelled, 4-ridged,
white nut is pointed at one end and has a sweet kernel. |
| Bark |
| Younger trees smooth and gray; older bark breaking into long,
loosely attached plates giving the trunk a shaggy appearance. |
|
CONTACT CFO | TERMS & CONDITIONS | ADVERTISE ON CFO
