408 ^^EW ENGLAND TREES IN^ WINTER. 



BITTERNUT 



Swamp Hickory. 



Carya cordiformis (Wang.) K. Koch. 



C. aiinira Xutt. ; Hivkoria rniniina (:\laish.) Britton. 



H VISIT — A tall tree 50-75 ft. in height, with a trunk diameter of 

 1-21/2 ft.; trunk generally early developing several stout ascending- 

 and" somewhat diverging branches to form a broad spreading head 



generally widest toward the top. 



BARK — Thin, light gray, close. wi(h shallow fissures and narrow 

 ridgi-s rarely Uaking off in small thin scales. 



TAA IfrS — Slender, buff' or gray or reddish, smooth or slightly downy 

 toward apex, generally yellow-glandular above. LENTICIiIIjS — more ur 

 less distinct, pale, numerous, longitudinally elongated. PITH — infre- 

 quently star-shaped, brown. 



LiKAF-SCARS — Alternate, more than 2-ranked, obscurely 3-Uibed. 

 heart-shaped, inversely triangular to elliptical, pale, raised, large, 

 prominent, the upper margin generally rounded, convex to sharp- 

 pointed, often 2-toothed at apex. BUNDLE-SCARS — -prominent, irregu- 

 larly scattered or collected into 3 more or less regular groups or 

 snnif times ap|,>aront 1>' in single curved line. 



I!i DS — Slender, strikingly yellow with crowded glandular dots, 

 slightly hairj' bet^veen the scales; terminal bud 5-15 mm. long, flattened, 

 obliquely blunt-pointed; lateral buds more or less 4-angled, the axillary 

 bud generally minute with one or more larger superposed buds above 

 it, of Len considerablj' separated from eai/h otlii^'r. the uppermost of the 

 series stalked or developing into a twig the hrst season. BUD- 

 SCALES — 4. valvate in pairs. 



FR I' IT — Nearlj' spherical to pear-shaped 2-r!.ri cm. long, generally 

 4- winged f I'om the apex to about the middle ; husk about 1 mm. 

 thick, yellow glandular- dotted, tardily splitting' to about the middle 

 into 4 valves. NUT — usually thin-shelled, sometimes broader than 

 long, smooth, short-point ed : seed deeply and irregularly roughened, 

 sweetish at first, becLmii ng intenselj' bitter. 



COMPARI-SOXS — The Eitternut is not to he confused with any other 

 tree if due notice is taken of the nari-o^v bright yellow, glandular- 

 dotted often superposed buds. The Butternut has superposed buds but 

 they are pale greenish -yellow and A'ery do^v^y, not bright yellow nor 

 glandular dotted and the pith though similarly brown is distinctly 

 chambered. 



DISTRIBUTION — In varying soils and situations; wet woods, low, 

 dam]i fields. ri\er \'alleys, along roadsides, occasional upon uplands 

 and hill slopes. From Montreal west to Georgian bay; south to Florida, 

 ascending 3,500 feel in Virginia; west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, 

 Indian Territor>. and Texas. 



IN NEW ENGLAND — Maine — sou tli ward, rare; New TTampshire — 

 eastern limit in the Connecticut valley, where it ranges farther north 

 than any other of our Hickories, reaching Well's river; Vermont — 

 occasional west of the Green mountains and in the southern Connecti- 

 cut valley; Massachusetts — rather common, abundant in the vicinity 

 of Boston; Rhode Island — common. 



IN CONNECTICUT — Occasional. 



WOOD — Heavy, very hard, strong, tough, close-grained, dark brown, 

 with thick light brown or often nearly white sap wood; largely used 

 for hoops and ox-yokes and for fuel. 



