66 FOREST TREES. 
strongly pointed, slightly flattened, with a thick yel- 
lowish shell. 
The Thick Shellbark Hickory is said to be much 
less common east of the Alleghanies than in the 
Western States. It is a lofty tree, and is sometimes 
confounded with the preceding species, which it 
resembles in the quality of its timber and the exfolia- 
tion of its bark. The leaves are, also, similar, but 
differ in being composed of seven or nine leaflets 
instead of five, which is always the number of the 
Shellbark Hickory. The nut of this species is very 
different from that of the other; it is nearly twice 
as large, is longer than it is broad, and has a firm 
point at each end. The shell is of a yellowish color, 
thick and hard, and the kernel of inferior flavor. 
3. Carya tomentosa—Mockernut. 
Leaflets, seven or nine; oblong, or obovate lanceo- 
late; slightly serrate; roughish downy underneath, 
as well as the petiole; catkins, hairy; fruit, globu- 
lar, or ovoid, with a thick, hard husk which splits 
almost to the base; nut, somewhat six-angled; the 
shell very thick and hard; light-brown color. 
The Mockernut Hickory grows to the height of 
fifty or sixty feet, with a diameter of eighteen or 
twenty inches. It is not rare, though not abundant 
in Northern Illinois; and appears to be more multi- 
plied east of the Alleghanies than in the western 
country. The bark on old trees is thick, hard and 
rugged. The wood is considered among the best for 
strength and toughness, as well as for fuel. The 
