Handbook of Treoes of the iSToitTiiERN States and Canada. 



The Bitter-nut Hickory when growing in the 

 forests on moist bottom lands occasionally at- 

 tains the height of 100 ft., and when growing 

 apart from other trees develops a well rounded 

 but often irregular top of handsome foliage. 

 Its straight columnar trunk is sometimes 2 

 or 3 ft. in diameter and vested in a character- 

 istic brownish gray bark with close scaly al- 

 most reticulate ridges. It thrives best in low 

 moist soil in company with the Silver and Red 

 Maples, Black Ash, Elms, etc., but is often 

 found also on rolling uplands. Being very hard}' 

 and less fastidious than the other Hickories 

 in conditions of soil in which it grows, it is 

 more uniform in its distribution and probably 

 the most abundant representative of its genus. 

 Its wood is heaxT, a cubic foot when abso- 

 lutely dry weighing 47.06 lbs., hard and strong 

 and is valued for tool handles, agricultural 

 implements, hoops, ox-yokes, etc., and makes 

 an excellent fuel.- 



Lrarcs 6-10 in. lon;r. pubescent when young, 

 with rather slender petioles, leflets 7-11, sessile, 

 lanceolate to obovate, 2-6 in. long, thin and firm, 

 usually unequal at base, coarsely serrate, long 

 taper-pointed, dark green and glabrous above, 

 pubescent beneath ; winter buds bright yellow, 

 compressed, with 2 pairs of valvate caducous 

 scales. Floirers (May-.Tune); staminate aments 

 2-4 in. long, slightly pubescent; calyx-lobes about 

 equal but middle one narrower ; stamens 4 ; an- 

 thers yellow, deeply ermarginate. Fruit subglo- 

 bose to obovoid, %-\y2 in. long with 4 sutures 

 prominently winged from apex to about the 

 middle \ hiisk thin, tardily dehiscent : nut thin- 

 shelled, compressed, often broader than long : seed 

 . reddish bi'own, deeply rugose and very bitter. 



1. Syn. Carya amara Xutt. 



2. A. W., 11, :'.". 



3. For genus see pp. 423-424. 



