236 



The Hickories 



for a few light-colored warts, dark brown or gray. The terminal bud is ovoid, 

 blunt, about 15 mm. long, its scales 6 to 8, imbricated, the outer reddish brown and 



leather)', the inner hairy and continue to grow 

 when the leaf expands, becoming 2.5 to 3.5 cm. in 

 length. The leaves are 2 to 3 dm. long; leaf- 

 stalk stout and channeled; leaflets 5 to 7, oval, ob- 

 long or ovate, 6 to 14 cm. long, narrowed or rounded 

 at the unequal, sessile base, sharp or taper- 

 pointed, coarsely but shallowly toothed on the 

 margin; thick and firm at maturity, hght green 

 and shining above; the upper pairs are much 

 the largest; the terminal one is broadest above 

 the middle, narrowly tapering at the short-stalked 

 base. The staminate catkins are in stalked clus- 

 ters of 3, smooth or nearly so, the bract of the 

 perianth slightly if any longer than the rounded 

 lateral lobes, which are fringed with hairs. The 

 pistillate flowers are angular and covered with 

 scurfy hairs. The fruit is subglobose, 2 to 2.5 cm. in d'ampter, light brown, 

 densely scaly and slightly winged; husk thin, tardily spHttin> ou. ua t way to the 

 base; nut buff-colored, slightly flattened, sharp-pointed, soiaetimes sdghtly angu- 

 lar; shell rather thin; seeds small and sweet. 



Its wood is similar to that of the Shellbark hickory, and makes excellent fuel. 



Small-fruited Hickorv. 



12. NORTHERN HICKORY - Hicoria borealis Ashe 



A small tree of dryish hillsides, growing 

 with the Small-fruited hickory in the vicinity 

 of Detroit, Michigan, and probably in adjacent 

 Ontario. 



The trunk and branches much resemble 

 the Small-fruited hickory. The bark is deeply 

 furrowed into narrow ridges, which become 

 loose and shaggy with age. The twigs are 

 slender, smooth, and bright brownish red; the 

 terminal bud is ovoid-lanceolate, covered by 

 8 to 10 imbricated scales, the inner ones 

 being lighter colored and silky. The leaves 

 are 2 to 2.5 dm. long; the leaf-stalk is stout, 

 grooved, thickened at the base, and shghtly 

 hairy; leaflets 5, sometimes but 3, lanceolate, 9 

 to 1 5 cm. long, or the lowest somewhat smaller, 

 slightly curved, tapering on one side, rounded 



Fig. 194. Northern Hickory. 



