Shagbark hickory

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