Shagbark hickory
Description
Leaves
Form
- 5 (sometimes 7) leaflets on a central stalk
- Pointed at both ends
- Sparsely hairy on lower surface
Length
- Leaf and central stalk 15–25 cm
Width
- Leaflets widest at the middle
Colour
- Upper surface yellowish-green
- Lower surface paler
Margin
- Finely toothed
- 2 or 3 tufts of hairs per tooth
Buds
Form
- Terminal bud present, ovoid, blunt-pointed
- 4–6 overlapping scales
- Outer scales loosely spreading and often broken
- Inner scales densely hairy
- Lateral buds diverge from the twig
Length
- Terminal bud 12–18 mm
Colour
- Greenish-brown
Twigs
Form
- Stout, shiny
Colour
- Reddish-brown to greyish-brown
Flowers
Form
- Pollen flowers in 3-branched, drooping catkins
- Seed flowers in small erect terminal clusters (spikes)
Structure
- Monoecious
Fruits
Form
- Almost globular
- Solitary or in pairs
- Husk thick, woody
- Splitting to the base when the fruit is ripe
- Shell of nut thin, hard
- Kernel sweet, edible
Length
- Fruit 3–5 cm
Width
- Wider than long
Structure
- Nut
Bark
Form
- Separating into long shaggy plates with age
- Plates free at lower ends or at both ends
Colour
- Dark grey
Wood
Uses
- The best quality hickory wood
Size
Height
- To 25 m
Diameter
- To 60 cm
Maximum age
- 200 years
Tree form
Forest-grown
Trunk
- Straight, slender
- Spreading at the base
- Often branch-free for three-quarters of its length
Crown
- Short, ascending, spreading branches
- Widening at the top to become almost flattened
Habitat
Site
- Rich moist soils on hillsides and in valleys
Associated species
- Mixed with other broadleaf trees
Range
From southern Ontario along the St. Lawrence River into Quebec
Distribution map

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