JUGLANDACEAE 

 Pignut Hickory 



Carya glabra (Mill.) Spach. [Hicoria glabra (Mill.) Britt.] 

 [Carya porcina Nutt.] 



HABIT. A tree usually 50-65 feet high, with a trunk diam- 

 eter of 1-3 feet; forming a low, rather narrow, open crown of 

 slender, often contorted branches. 



LEAVES. Alternate, compound, 8-12 inches long. Leaflets 

 usually 5-7, the upper 3-6 inches long, 2-2^/2 inches broad; sub- 

 sessile, except the terminal ; oblong to obovate-lanceolate, taper- 

 pointed; sharply serrate; thick and firm; glabrous, dark yellow- 

 green above, paler beneath. Petioles long, slender, glabrous or 

 pubescent. Foliage fragrant when crushed. 



FLOWERS. May, after the leaves; monoecious; the stam- 

 inate in pendulous, ternate catkins, 3-7 inches long, slender, 

 yellow-green, tomentose ; scales 3-lobed, nearly glabrous ; stamens 

 4, with orange anthers; the pistillate in crowded, 2-5-flowered 

 spikes, J4 mcn long; calyx 4-toothed, hairy; corolla o; stigmas 2, 

 yellow. 



FRUIT. October; variable in size and shape, 1^2-2 inches 

 long, with thin husk splitting half-way and sometimes nearly 

 to the base ; nut obscurely 4-ridged, with thin or thick, hard shell 

 and small, sweet or slightly bitter kernel which is hard to 

 remove. 



WINTER-BUDS. Terminal bud l /4- l /2 inch long, dome- 

 shaped, greenish or grayish, smooth or finely downy. 



BARK. Twigs greenish, nearly glabrous, becoming reddish, 

 and finally grayish; thick, hard and grayish on the trunk, with a 

 firm, close surface divided by small fissures and sometimes 

 broken into plates. 



WOOD. Heavy, hard, very strong, tough, close-grained, 

 elastic, dark brown, with thick, whitish sapwood. 



DISTRIBUTION. Occurs only in the extreme southern 

 portion of the Lower Peninsula. Common within its range. 



HABITAT. Prefers deep, rich loam, but grows in any 

 well-drained soil ; dry ridges and hillsides. 



NOTES. Hardy and desirable for ornamental purposes. 

 Difficult to transplant. Not adapted to street use. 

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