HICKORY G.N. 6695 







HICKORY 



Carya alba Nutt. or Carya amara Nutt. Juglandaceae. 



A coarsely ring-porous wood, usually white, much resembling Ash 

 (i.e. the sapwood which is the most used), but sometimes of a warm brown 

 colour (the heartwood). Hard and heavy. 



Transverse section. Boundary, a line of contrast in the density of 

 succeeding rings accompanied by a scanty row of very large vessels. 



Parenchyma doubtfully of two kinds (in any case the vasicentric is 

 not present in our specimens though I cannot believe that it is entirely 

 absent). Parenchyma (b) very prominent when viewed with the lens, 

 and frequently visible to the naked eye. It is of a white colour and in 

 concentric bars, which make sub-continuous lines in tangential direction. 

 It is present in the Spring wood as much as in the later wood. 



Vessels, of the pore-ring, very large indeed, and visible individually 

 as perforations. They diminish in size abruptly, immediately outside 

 the pore-ring. Very few vessels in the later wood where they are widely 

 isolated. They are single or twinned with some radial groups of three or 

 four (mother and daughter groups). 



Rays very fine, but clear (lens), somewhat irregular in size and spacing, 

 about the width of a large vessel or less apart : rather lighter in colour, 

 than the ground (white in the sapwood, brown in the heartwood). 



Radial section. Boundaries not easily traceable as the pore-bands 

 (rings) are discontinuous though coarse. Rays obscure and small, just 

 visible? multiseriate. 



Tangential section. As the radial, but the boundaries are very coarsely- 

 fringed loops, somewhat interrupted. Much smooth wood within the 

 loops. Rays (lens), inconspicuous. 



The heartwood of Hickory may be May be distinguished by: 



confused with: 



Walnut (parenchyma (b) in trans- Parenchyma (b) very evident 



verse section, very obscure). with lens or even visible to the 



unaided eye. 



Chestnut (radial streams of Vessels scattered in the Autumn 



vessels). wood. 



Oak (large and small rays). Small rays only. 



Elm (undulating concentric lines Vessels scattered in the Autumn 



of Autumn vessels). wood. 



The sapwood may be confused with: 



Ash (vessels in minute angles and Vessels scattered : concentric 



arcs in the Autumn wood. Paren- parenchyma (b) present, often 



chyma (a) vasicentric only, around visible to the naked eye. 

 the vessels joining a few groups in 

 the Autumn wood). 



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