Pignut hickory, Carya glabra
Paul Nelson
Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra
Edible
Family:
Juglandaceae (walnuts)
Description:
Pignut hickory is a medium-sized tree with a rather narrow crown, 2–4 times longer than broad.
Leaves are alternate, feather-compound, 8–12 inches long, with 5 (rarely 7) leaflets. Leaflets lance-shaped, narrow at base or near middle; margin toothed; tip tapered to a point. Upper surface yellow-green, smooth; under surface paler and smooth or hairy along veins. Bright yellow in fall.
Bark is gray, thin, tight, rough from numerous shallow, crisscrossing cracks forming close, flattened scales.
Twigs are rather slender, reddish-brown, smooth; pores pale.
Flowers April–May, male and female flowers separate on same tree; male catkins 3-branched, yellowish-green; female flowers few.
Fruits September–October, variable, usually pear- or egg-shaped, often with a necklike base; about 1¼ inches long; husk dark brown, thin, splitting late along 2–4 lines or not at all. Nut pear-shaped with a short beak.
Similar species: Distinguished from black hickory by 5 (not 7) leaflets, twigs that don't abruptly taper toward the terminal bud.
Size:
Height: to 80 feet.
Pignut hickory
Pignut Hickory
How did pignut hickory get its name? Settlers were unimpressed with the nuts’ flavor and fed them to their hogs!
Shagbark_Hickory_Carya_ovata.jpg
Hickory Flowers
All hickory flowers are quite similar. They emerge in spring with the leaves. Both male and female flowers appear on the same tree.
Habitat and conservation:
Dry upland woods, usually in acid soils derived from chert, sandstone, or igneous rock, especially in the Ozarks; also in sandy or gravelly soils of dry upland wooded ridges in southeastern Missouri’s Crowley’s Ridge. A slow to moderately fast-growing tree, depending on soils. Trees are usually 25–30 years old before they begin producing nuts; it takes twice that time to begin full production.
Distribution in Missouri:
Mostly in the eastern Ozarks but can be found scattered throughout southern Missouri and in a few counties just north of the Missouri River.
Human connections:
The tough, rugged wood has been used for fuel and for tools that must withstand violent blows and friction, such as axe handles and wagon wheel hubs. Settlers used the bitter nuts to feed pigs (hence the name) and made brooms from the shredded wood.
Ecosystem connections:
Squirrels, mice, deer, and more eat the nuts. Squirrels also eat the buds. Like other hickories, the leaves are eaten by caterpillars of several large, showy moths, including the luna moth, several underwings, and the giant regal moth.
Similar Species
Hickories
Carya spp.
Black Hickory
Carya texana
Shagbark Hickory
Carya ovata
Mockernut Hickory
Carya tomentosa
Shellbark Hickory
Carya laciniosa
Bitternut Hickory
Carya cordiformis
Pecan
Carya illinoinensis
Water Hickory
Carya aquatica
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra
Butternut
Juglans cinerea
About Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines in Missouri
There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. “Wood” is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature — whether they are “woody” or not. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground.