232 The Hickories 



above the middle and considerabl}^ longer than the lowest, wedge-shaped or rounded 

 at the nearly equal, sessile base, sharp or taper-pointed, finely toothed with thick- 

 tipped teeth ; the terminal leaflet is often about twice the size of the lower leaflets, 

 broadest above, and gradually tapering to a stout stalk often 2,5 cm. long; they are 

 hairy beneath when unfolding, becoming thick and firrri, rather dark green and 

 somewhat shining above, pale green or brownish and softly hairy beneath, espe- 

 cially along the prominent yellowish midrib and larger veins. The staminate cat- 

 kins are in stalked clusters of 3, each 1.25 to 2 dm. long; the bracts smooth or 

 nearly so, twice as long as the broad and rounded lobes of the perianth; anthers 

 notched and hairy. The pistillate flowers are in spikes of 2 to 5, oblong-ovoid, 

 slightly angled, densely hair}'; stigma light green. The fruit is broadly oblong 

 or oblong-obovoid, usually depressed at the top, 5 to 8 cm. long, smooth or downy, 

 yellowish or brownish; its husk is hard, often 8 mm. thick, splitting readily to the 

 base; the nut is broadly oblong, somewhat flattened, pointed at each end, yel- 

 lowish white, 4- ridged and angular, its shell very thick and hard; seed sweet, deeply 

 lobed, light brown and shining. 



The wood is hard, tough and strong, close-grained, elastic and dark 

 brown; its specific gravity is about 0.81. It is used in the manufacture of wheels, 

 tool handles, and for the other purposes in which the wood of other hickories 

 is used, not being distinguished from them commercially. 



The fruit is also marketed as are Shellbark hickory nuts, especially in the 

 cities of the West. 



A supposed hybrid of this with the Pecan is reported from several stations at 

 which both species are naturally associated. 



9. SHELLBARK Hicoria ovata (Miller) Britton 



Juglans ovata Miller. Carya alba Nuttall, not Juglans alba LinnEeus 



This well-known tree is an inhabitant of rich, moist soil mostly in valley or 

 hillside woods from Quebec to Minnesota and Kansas, south to Florida and Texas, 

 frequent in the interior, but not common along the coast south of New Jersey. 

 Its maximum height is 40 meters, with a trunk diameter of 1.5 meters. It is also 

 called Shellbark tree, Upland hickory, White hickory. Red heart hickory. Hickory, 

 White walnut, Shagbark walnut. Sweet walnut, and Walnut. 



The trunk is straight and slender, when crowded usually bearing branches only 

 above; in the open the branches sometimes persist nearly to the ground, the shape 

 of the perfect tree being oblong- cylindric or somewhat wider near the top than 

 at the middle. The bark is i to 2.5 cm. thick, light gray and broken into thick, 

 flat flakes often 3 dm. long, free at the ends but closely attached between them; 

 that of younger stems is smooth and light gray. The twigs are stout, slightly 

 angular, and covered with brown scurfy and glandular hairs, soon becoming round, 

 smooth, and shining, or nearly smooth, reddish brown to light gray and bear- 

 ing many broad leaf scars. The terminal bud is broadly ovoid, bluntish, 12 to 



