﻿Trecii of New York State 145 



JUGLANDACEAE 



Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch. [Hieoria ovata (Mill.) Britt; Carya alba Nutt.] 



Shagbark Hickory, Shellbark Hickory 



Habit — A tree at maturity attaining a height of 60-90 feet with a trunk 

 diameter of 2-3 feet, under optimum conditions sometimes 120 feet tall. 

 Crown in the open usually irregular and open, narrowly oblong-cylindrical, 

 the bole usually forking low down into stout, ascending limbs. In the 

 forest the bole is typically tall and columnar and often free of branches 

 for 50-60 feet, bearing aloft a narrow head. 



Leaves — Alternate, odd-pinnately compound, 8-14 inches long, consisting of 

 5-7 sessile or nearly sessile leaflets arranged in pairs along a stout, 

 glabrous or pubescent, slightly grooved petiole, the lower pair the smallest 

 and the terminal leaflet narrowed into a stalk. Leaflets ovate-lanceolate 

 to obovate, 4^5 inches long, usually acuminate at the apex, inequilateral 

 at the base, serrate and ciliate except near the base, at maturity thin, 

 firm, dark yellowish green and glabrous above, pale, glabrous or puberu- 

 lous below. 



Flowers — ■ Appearing in May and early June after the unfolding of the leaves, 

 monoecious, the staminate in slender, light green, drooping catkins 4-5 

 inches long which are borne in pedunculate clusters of 3 on the growth of 

 the preceding season, rarely at the base of the growth of the season, the 

 pistillate in terminal, 2-5-flowered spikes capping the gro^\i:.h of the sea- 

 son, the two sorts proximal. Staminate flowers pedicellate, glandular- 

 hirsute without, about % of an inch long, consisting of an elongated, 

 ovate-lanceolate bract and 2 ovate, concave calyx-lobes bearing adaxilly 

 3-4 stamens. Anthers nearly sessile, yellow, tinged with red. Pistillate 

 flower about % of an inch long, sessile, consisting of an inferior 1 -celled 

 ovary surmounted by 2 sessile, spreading, pale green, papillate stigmas. 

 The ovary is invested by the perianth-like, cohering, rusty-tomentose 

 involucre. 



Fruit — Subglobose to obovate, 1-2% inches long, 4-channeled from apex to 

 base, at maturity dark reddish brown or nearly black, lenticellate, glabrous 

 or pilose. Husk thick, splitting to the base. Nut white, thin-shelled usu- 

 ally oblong but very variable in form, 4 angled or ridged, with large, light 

 bro'ttii, sweet kernel. 



Winter characters — Twigs stout, lenticellate, usually somewhat pubescent or 

 occasionally lustrous and smooth, reddish brown or grayish. Leaf-scars 

 slightly elevated, inversely triangular to oblong, with scattered bundle- 

 scars. Terminal bud broadly ovate, dark brown, %-% of an inch long, 

 the outer scales loose and pubescent on the outer surface and often keeled 

 and projecting above into a point. Lateral buds smaller. Mature bark 

 light gray, %-l inch thick, separating into rough strips or plates which 

 remain attached to the trunk, giving it a shaggy appearance. 



Habitat — Prefers deep, moist soil. Common and of its largest size on the 

 rich alluvial soils of the lower Ohio basin. 



Eange — Southern Quebec and Ontario, Maine to Minnesota, south to Florida 

 and Texas. Zones B and C. 



Uses — One of the most valuable hickories, producing excellent hickory stock. 

 Wood heavy-, verj- hard and strong, tough, elastic, close-grained, light 

 brown -snth pale nearly white sapwood. Largely used in the manufacture 

 of wagons, automobile wheels, axe helves, agricultural implements, etc. 

 Tliis tree j)roduces the common hickory nut of commerce. 



