Carya ovalis
Encyclopedia
Carya ovalis, the Red Hickory, is a fairly uncommon but widespread Hickory
native to eastern North America. It is typically found growing in dry, well drained sandy upland ridges and sloped woodlands from southern Ontario
, Canada
, and in the United States
east to New Hampshire
, south to northern Florida
west to eastern Texas
and north-west to Nebraska
. This species was formerly treated as a variety or northern ecotype
of the Pignut Hickory
, Carya glabra, described as Carya glabra. var. Odorata. This discrepancy has not yet been completely resolved, and some sources and authors still consider Red Hickory as a variety of Pignut Hickory, However both trees are quite morphologically distinct. Another common English name used more often in the United States is Sweet Pignut Hickory.
, capable of growing to 80 feet in height. The single trunk
is straight and often continues for the entire height of the tree, although sometimes splits into several large limbs once the canopy has been breached. Branches are strong, stout and long, ascending in the upper crown
and drooping in the lower crown. Branches around mid-height are more or less horizontal. This creates a broad, thick, column-shaped form that casts dense shade. Individuals have been known to live from 100–250 years of age.
Leaves
are pinnately compound, typically producing 5-9 leaflets (7 being the most common). The terminal leaflet is often the largest, with the auxilary leaflets decreasing in size from the tip to the base of the rachis
. Leaflets are broadest above or at their median
length, with finely serrated margins. They are dark green and smooth or glaucous
above and paler and finely pubescent underneath. the rachis of the leaves are usually bright red or purple in color, a distinctive feature of Red Hickory that helps to separate it from Pignut Hickory.
The bark
of mature trees is grey, composed of tight, flat-topped intersecting ridges that can appear quite blocky but are generally strap-like. Occasionally, the ridges may separate from the trunk in peeling strips, loose a both ends, a trait characteristic of Shagbark and Shellbark Hickories. Young, vigorously growing trees are more prone to producing peeling bark than mature individuals.
Like all Hickories, the fruit is a small round or slightly elliptical nut
, born singly or in groups of 2-3 on the ends of bearing branches. When immature, the nut is encased in a thin, green husk
with 4 distinct seams. Upon maturity (late September to mid-October) the husk changes from being green, fleshy and flexible to dark brown and very brittle. The seams then split from the base upwards and may or may not completely separate from the ripe nut. The nut itself is smooth, tan to beige in color and has 4 shallow ridges from the seams. The inner kernel
is very oily and varies in flavor from bitter and unpalatable to mildly sweet. For such as small nut, the shell is thick and the kernel difficult to extract. These nuts are relished by countless wildlife species, including many rodents and birds, as well as raccoons and turkeys.
The flowers emerge in the Spring at the same times as the developing leaves (early to late May). Male flowers are long, green, inconspicuous drooping catkins that develop between the base of the petiole and the developing twig. Female flowers are bizarre looking, with a tuft of sticky green tissue emerging from a swollen base. These develop individually or in groups at the end of a new twig, after the expanding leaves. All Hickories are self infertile and monoecious.
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
native to eastern North America. It is typically found growing in dry, well drained sandy upland ridges and sloped woodlands from southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
east to New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, south to northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
west to eastern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and north-west to Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. This species was formerly treated as a variety or northern ecotype
Ecotype
In evolutionary ecology, an ecotype,Greek: οίκος = home and τύπος = type, coined by Göte Turesson in 1922 sometimes called ecospecies, describes a genetically distinct geographic variety, population or race within species , which is adapted to specific environmental conditions.Typically, ecotypes...
of the Pignut Hickory
Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra, the Pignut hickory, is a common but not abundant species in the oak-hickory forest association in the Eastern United States and Canada. Other common names are pignut, sweet pignut, coast pignut hickory, smoothbark hickory, swamp hickory, and broom hickory...
, Carya glabra, described as Carya glabra. var. Odorata. This discrepancy has not yet been completely resolved, and some sources and authors still consider Red Hickory as a variety of Pignut Hickory, However both trees are quite morphologically distinct. Another common English name used more often in the United States is Sweet Pignut Hickory.
Description
The Red Hickory is generally encountered as a medium-sized treeTree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, capable of growing to 80 feet in height. The single trunk
Trunk
Trunk may refer to:In biology:*Trunk, an elephant's proboscis or nose*Trunk, torso*Trunk , a tree's central superstructureIn containers:*Trunk , a large storage compartment*Trunk...
is straight and often continues for the entire height of the tree, although sometimes splits into several large limbs once the canopy has been breached. Branches are strong, stout and long, ascending in the upper crown
Crown (botany)
The crown of a plant refers to the totality of the plant's aboveground parts, including stems, leaves, and reproductive structures. A plant canopy consists of one or more plant crowns growing in a given area....
and drooping in the lower crown. Branches around mid-height are more or less horizontal. This creates a broad, thick, column-shaped form that casts dense shade. Individuals have been known to live from 100–250 years of age.
Leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
are pinnately compound, typically producing 5-9 leaflets (7 being the most common). The terminal leaflet is often the largest, with the auxilary leaflets decreasing in size from the tip to the base of the rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
. Leaflets are broadest above or at their median
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
length, with finely serrated margins. They are dark green and smooth or glaucous
Glaucous
Glaucous is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the Glaucous Gull , Glaucous-winged Gull , Glaucous Macaw , and Glaucous...
above and paler and finely pubescent underneath. the rachis of the leaves are usually bright red or purple in color, a distinctive feature of Red Hickory that helps to separate it from Pignut Hickory.
The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
of mature trees is grey, composed of tight, flat-topped intersecting ridges that can appear quite blocky but are generally strap-like. Occasionally, the ridges may separate from the trunk in peeling strips, loose a both ends, a trait characteristic of Shagbark and Shellbark Hickories. Young, vigorously growing trees are more prone to producing peeling bark than mature individuals.
Like all Hickories, the fruit is a small round or slightly elliptical nut
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
, born singly or in groups of 2-3 on the ends of bearing branches. When immature, the nut is encased in a thin, green husk
Husk
Husk in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. It often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective outer covering of a seed, fruit or vegetable...
with 4 distinct seams. Upon maturity (late September to mid-October) the husk changes from being green, fleshy and flexible to dark brown and very brittle. The seams then split from the base upwards and may or may not completely separate from the ripe nut. The nut itself is smooth, tan to beige in color and has 4 shallow ridges from the seams. The inner kernel
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
is very oily and varies in flavor from bitter and unpalatable to mildly sweet. For such as small nut, the shell is thick and the kernel difficult to extract. These nuts are relished by countless wildlife species, including many rodents and birds, as well as raccoons and turkeys.
The flowers emerge in the Spring at the same times as the developing leaves (early to late May). Male flowers are long, green, inconspicuous drooping catkins that develop between the base of the petiole and the developing twig. Female flowers are bizarre looking, with a tuft of sticky green tissue emerging from a swollen base. These develop individually or in groups at the end of a new twig, after the expanding leaves. All Hickories are self infertile and monoecious.