WALNUT FAMILY 



Hicoria alba evidently gained the common name Mocker- 

 nut because of the disappointing character of its nuts. These 

 are usually of large size and look like Shellbark nuts, but they 

 keep their promise to the sight only to break it to the hope, 

 for the kernel is very small and very difficult to extract. 



The Mockernut varies toward the Shellbark on one side 

 and the Pignut on the other. In its foliage it resembles the 

 Shellbark, in its bark it resembles the Pignut. Its distin- 

 guishing characters are its nuts, its large leaves of seven to 

 nine leaflets, its large terminal bud and the pleasant resinous 

 fragrance of its leaves. 



PIGNUT 



Hicoria glhbra. Cdrya porclna. Cdrya mic roc drpa. 



Common throughout the northern states, ranges south as far as 

 Florida and southwest to Texas. Prefers dry ridges and hillsides, 

 but tolerates many different conditions. Rises to a hundred feet in 

 the forest, but in the open is shorter, with a narrow head of slender, 

 sometimes pendulous branches. Has the stout tap roots of all the 

 hickories. 



Bark. Light gray with shallow fissures and close appressed scales, 

 rarely exfoliate. Branchlets slender, marked with pale lenticels, at 

 first slightly angled, pale green, scurfy or downy ; later they become 

 light red brown, smooth, and finally turn dark gray. The leaf-scars 

 are comparatively small, semiorbicular to oblong, obscurely lobed, 

 slightly emarginate at apex. 



Wood. Either dark or light brown, sapwood nearly white ; heavy, 

 hard, close-grained, tough and elastic. Largely used in the manu- 

 facture of agricultural implements. Sp. gr., 0.8217 5 weight of cu. 

 ft., 51.21 Ibs. 



Winter Buds. Terminal buds one-fourth to one-half of an inch 

 long, narrow-oval, acute, or obtuse, two or three times as large as 

 the axillary buds. The outer scales are acute, often slightly keeled, 

 frequently long pointed at apex, reddish brown, beginning to unfold 

 early in autumn, frequently fall before winter or early in spring. 

 The inner scales increase in size when spring growth begins, fre- 

 quently becoming two and a half inches long, and one and one-fourth 

 inch wide, lanceolate to obovate, yellow green, more or less tinged 

 with red, downy and persistent until the leaf is half grown. 



Leaves. Alternate, compound, eight to twelve inches long. Leaf- 

 lets five to seven, rarely nine. Variety microcarpa habitually five. 



290 



