28 



Cornell Junior Extension Bulletin 26 



19. BITTERNUT HICKORY 



Swamp Hickory, Water Hickory, Tightbark Hickory 

 (Hicoria cordiformis (Wangenheim) Britton) 



Bitternut hickory is occasional in most sections of the State except 

 in the higher Adirondacks or Catskills. It is by preference a bottom- 

 land tree growing on wet sites in pastures, fields, and along streams, 



though it is occasion- 

 ally found on hill- 

 sides. It grows well 

 on moist, rich soil 

 such as is found in 

 many farm woodlots. 

 The wood is heavy, 

 very hard, strong, 

 tough, and dark 

 brown in color with 

 paler sapwood. It is 

 inferior to that of the 

 otlier hickories but is 

 used for practically 

 the same purposes. 



Bark — thin, close, 

 with shallow furrows 

 and narrow regular 

 ridges, usually does 

 not scale or shag off, light gray in color. 



Twigs — slender, often yellowish in color, hairy toward tin* end ; gray- 

 ish or orange brown in color during the first winter. 



Winter buds — long, flattened, blunt-pointed, covered by 4 sulfur-col- 

 ored scales ; terminal bud from % to % inch long ; pith brown and un- 

 like any other hickory in this respect. 



Leaves— alternate, compound, from 6 to 10 inches long, with from 7 to 

 11 long, narrow, sharp-pointed leaflets which are smaller and more slen- 

 der than are those of other hickories. 



Fruit — a nearly round nut, thin-husked, brown in color, from % to 1 

 inch long, without ridges. Kernel — bitter, not edible. Husk — clings to 

 the nut after falling. Shell is so thin that it can easily be crushed between 

 the fingers. 



BITTERNUT HICKORY 



Twig, one-half natural size ; leaf, one-third natural 

 size ; fruit, one-half natural size 



