The Hickories 



57 



The winter buds are chief points of distinction. While the buds of all other 

 hickories are brown the bitternut hickory has sulphur-yellow buds. They are 

 long, curved, flattened, and pointed. Buds on the .side of a twig are shorter and 

 rounder than those at the end. Usually one or two buds on a stem still remain 

 closed after the others have opened in the spring. 



The leaves have from seven to eleven leaflets on one stem. The leaflets are 

 narrower than those of any other hickory. Both upper and lower surfaces are 

 smooth. 



The nut is often broader than long and is covered with a thin husk. It has 

 four ridges reaching almost half way from the point to the base. The shell is very 

 thin; it is the thinnest-shelled hickory. The kernel is very bitter. 



The bitternut hickory is found in southern Ontario from Georgian bay east- 

 ward and throughout the southwestern part of Quebec. It prefers low, wet 



BITTfRNUT 



H ICKORY 



C. cord/form is 



situations near streams, but is also found on higher ground in good soil. It is fairly 

 tolerant of shade and grows scattered through other hardwoods. The rate of 

 growth is rapid for a hickory, but, at best, is only medium when compared with 

 other trees. 



This is an important Canadian hickory on account of its wide distribution and 

 common occurrence, but its wood is not usually so strong as that of the other species- 



