IV. 2. THE BITTERNUT HICKORY. 199 



Sp. 4. The Bitternut Hickory. Carya amara. F. A. Mi- 



chaux. 



Figured in Michaux, Sylva, I, Plate 33 ; and on Plate 15 of this volume. 



This species, though perfectly distinct and well defined, is 

 very generally confounded with the last described, or, if at all 

 distinguished, is called the bitter pignut. 



It may be easily recognized by the smallness and slenderness 

 of its leaves, which give it much the aspect of an ash, by its 

 small, pointed, yellow buds, by the winged projections at the 

 upper part of the fruit-seams of the husk, and by the bitter- 

 ness of the kernel of the thin-shelled nut. 



The bitternut hickory is found abundantly in the vicinity of 

 Boston, particularly in Chelsea and Brookline. In Cambridge, 

 and the towns beyond, it less rarely occurs, its place being taken 

 by the pignut, as it is in Dorchester and towards Milton hills. 

 On the hills in Brighton, the four species are more equally min- 

 gled than I have found them elsewhere. It also occurs in Wor- 

 cester County, and in the counties along the Connecticut. 



The bitternut hickory is the most graceful of these beautiful 

 trees, and remarkable for its finely cut foliage.. It raises a no- 

 ble columnar top, to the height of sixty or seventy feet, enlarg- 

 ing upwards, and broadest at forty or fifty- The trunk gradu- 

 ally tapers from the ground; less rough than most large trees, 

 with a few loose portions of its light granite gray bark here 

 and there projecting, and differing from the color of the other 

 hickories by a faint yellow tinge. The recent shoots are of an 

 orange-green, smooth, and dotted with orange dots. As they 

 grow older, they change to a brownish gray. The buds are 

 small and very characteristic ; they are of an orange-yellow 

 color, the terminal ones long, curved, flattened and pointed, the 

 axillary ones shorter and rounded. By observing these, the 

 tree may be easily distinguished at any season of the year. 



The leaves are on small stalks, which are somewhat downy, 

 and often flattened and winged. The leaflets are from seven to 

 eleven, small, narrow, lanceolate, sessile, inequilateral, smooth 

 on both surfaces, or with a slight scattered down beneath. 



