Handbook of Teees of the Nobthebn States and Canada. 



63 



A tre; sometimes attaining the height of 

 90 or 100 ft. witli triuilv 3 ft. in thickness, 

 though usually considerably smaller. When 

 isolated from other trees it develops an oblong 

 or rather wide-topped head with strong up- 

 right lateral and pendent lower branches. 

 The bark of trunk is of a gi'ay color, rough 

 with obscure scaly ridges. It is more com- 

 monly found on hill-sides and ridges than is 

 the Big Shell-bark, which it leaves to the in- 

 undated river bottoms and rarely invades its 

 territory. In the northern part of its range 

 it is mainly confined to the coast region where 

 it associates with the various Oaks, Red 

 Cedar, Sassafras, Sweet Birch, Sweet Gum, 

 Tulip, etc. To the .southward it is more abun- 

 dant and more generally distributed. 



The wood of the Jlocker-nut is heavy, a 

 cubic foot when absolutely dry weighing 51.21 

 lbs., strong and tough, and is used in the 

 manufacture of tool-handles, agricultural im- 

 plements, etc., and is excellent for fuel. 2 The 

 nuts command about the same price in the 

 trade as those of the Big Shell-bark. 



Leari'X S-l.T in. long, fragrant when crushed, 

 with stellate pubescent petioles and Y-9 oblong- 

 lanceolate to obovate acuminate serrate leaflets 

 which are lustrous dark green above and paler and 

 pubescent beneath : twigs tomentose ; bud-scales 

 imbricated, the outer early deciduous, the inner 

 tomentose and accrescent. Flowers in May ; 

 staminate in stellate pubescent aments ; calyx 

 with central lobe linear and much longer than the 

 lateral ones ; stamens 4 with red anthers ; pis- 

 tillate in 2-.'5-flowpred spikes. Fruit globose-oblong, 

 11/2-2 in. long, with thick husk splitting nearly to 

 the base ; nut brownish white, variable in shape, 

 4-ridged with very thick shell and sweet seed. 



1. Syn. Carya lomentoaa Nutt. 



2. A. W., IV, 00. 



