Carya laciniosaIndiana Native
Shellbark Hickory

Family:

Juglandaceae (Walnut Family) 10

Genus:

Carya (Hickory Pecan Hican) 7

Plant Type:

Tree 556

Growth Forms:

Upright 537

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 5 233

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 792

Flower Notes:

non-showy pendulous catkins

Foliage Notes:

Green (Dark yellow-green)

Stem Notes:

Brown/Copper (pubescent, finally glabrous)

Fruit Notes:

hickory nuts, with a nutty and sweet taste

Ultimate Height:

60-80 feet

Ultimate Spread:

35-45 feet

Bloom Times:

Light Requirements:

Soil Water Requirements:

Medium to wet 33

Soil Notes:

Prefers deep, moist, fertile soils of floodplains and bottomlands.

Range:

New York to Iowa, south to Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma

Maintenance:

Low 103

Diagnostic Characteristics:

The leaves are alternate, pinnately compound, 10 to 24" long, 7 leaflets, rarely 5-9, 4 to 10" long, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, serrate, dark yellow-green, pubescent beneath. The petiole and rachis are pubescent or glabrous, often peristent during winter. Similar to C. ovata in bud, stem and bark characteristics but leaflets do not have hairs at tip of teeth like those of C. ovata. The oval fruit is somewhat larger (2"), 1/4" husk, lacking wings, and the nut is 4- to 6-ribbed versus the 4-ribbed nut of C. ovata.

Ecological Functions:

Special Characteristics:

Food/Edible 80

Indiana Native 152

Notable Bark 161

Additional Information

This high branching tree has a straight, slender trunk, narrowing crown, and small spreading branches with the lower branches drooping and upper branches ascending. The nut that is produced is sweet and edible. The Shellbark Hickory is similar to C. ovata (Shagbark Hickory) in many respects, except it does not grow as large and tends to grow near lowlands or bottomlands where there is more moisture in the soil. The wood from this tree provides excellent lumber quality.