IV. 2. THE MOCKERNUT HICKORY. 195 



and forming a lofty and graceful pyramidal head. It may be 

 distinguished from the other hickories by the number of its leaf- 

 lets, which are seven or nine, by the down on its leaves and 

 recent shoots, by the hardness of the husk and the thickness of 

 the nut, by the roundness of its large covered buds, and by a 

 strong resinous odor in the leaves, buds and husks. In its 

 general aspect, it resembles the shellbark, as well as in the full- 

 ness of its foliage and the size of its leaves. Its branches are 

 more spreading, and its trunk is more like that of the pignut 

 hickory, but less smooth. The color of the bark is dark ashen 

 gray, and on old trees it is rough with numerous close, narrow 

 furrows, rendering it more rugged than that of any hickory, 

 except the shellbark. A remarkable peculiarity often shows 

 itself in the young trees. While the inner bark is cracked, the 

 cuticle seems to yield and to cover the whole surface with a 

 smooth, waved covering; the external furrows not beginning to 

 show themselves until the tree has a diameter of six or eight 

 inches. 



The recent shoots are of a brown color, very stout, and, early 

 in the season, covered with down. Later, they turn purple, 

 with a dusty appearance. On the older branches, which are 

 larger than in the other species, the color changes to gray which 

 gradually becomes lighter. 



The leaves are very large, often eighteen or twenty inches 

 long, on very large downy footstalks. The leaflets are seven 

 or nine, nearly sessile, except the terminal one, which has a 

 short stem ; they are rather large, egg-shaped, elliptical, or pear- 

 shaped, smooth above and downy beneath, with large, sharp 

 serratures, and terminating in a short point. They are remark- 

 able, particularly in the early part of the season, for a strong 

 resinous odor. They have more substance than those of the 

 other species, and shrivel less under the touch of the frost. In 

 autumn, they assume a full deep orange brown, gradually fading 

 to russet. 



The buds are large, round, short, and covered with downy, 

 yellowish brown scales. 



The male flowers are on triple catkins from three to six inches 

 long, the middle one longest. They consist of three-lobed, 



