Identifying characteristics:
The shagbark hickory is a 60- to 80-foot tree, with a narrow, oblong, open
crown and large, descending branches. Leaves
are alternate, pinnately compound, and 8 to 14 inches long. The 5 (or rarely
7) leaflets are finely toothed with 2 or 3 tufts of hairs per tooth. The
terminal 3 leaflets are usually larger than the others. The deep yellow-green
foliage turns to a rich yellow or golden brown in the fall. Flowers are produced in spring after the
leaves are almost fully grown. The male flowers are produced in branched
catkins, the female flowers in short spikes. The fruit
is a nut, 1.5 inches in diameter or larger, with thick, unwinged husks that
split open at maturity. The husks are almost globular, green at first, becoming
nearly black. The hickory nut of commerce comes from this species. It is
a 4-ribbed nut with a thick shell and a sweet, edible seed. Leaf scars
are large, heart-shaped or half-round, with numerous bundle scars. Terminal
buds are 0.5 to 1 inches long, the laterals smaller and diverging
from the twig. The outer bud scales are brown, nearly glabrous and loosely-spreading,
or often broken. The inner bud scales are yellow-brown and densely hairy.
Longitudinally elongated lenticels are conspicuous on the twigs. The bark is gray and smooth on younger trees,
dividing into irregularly-shaped, vertical strips, which are free at the
base or at both ends. The bark is hard and tough, and was once used by pioneers
to make boxes.
Similar species:
- bitternut hickory (C. cordiformis)
- shellbark hickory (C. laciniosa)
Ecology:
Distribution: This species is native to North America from Quebec
to Minnesota, and south to Georgia and Texas. It is native in central Iowa
as far west as the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and to the Missouri River
in southern Iowa. It has been cultivated in the US since 1629.
Habitat: Although this species prefers rich, well-drained soils, it adapts to a wide variety of soil types. It is usually found in drier upland woods, but also occurs in well-drained soils of valleys and bottomlands, and is a constant companion of oaks in the midwest. The shagbark hickory is hardy from zone 4 to 8. Although relatively free from diseases and insect pests, this species may be attacked by canker, leaf spot, powdery mildew, hickory bark beetle, and painted hickory borer.
Uses:
Wood: The best quality hickory wood comes from this species
and it is an exceptionally strong and heavy US native wood. The wood is
light brown, close-grained, very hard, tough and flexible. Because it is
shock-resistant, it is the principal wood used for handles for hammers,
axes and other striking tools. It is also used for skis and other sporting
equipment, agricultural implements, ladder rungs, baskets and charcoal.
It is a popular choice for kitchen cabinets, and was once also used to make
wooden wheels and wagons. It is one of the best firewoods available, and
the chips and sawdust are used for smoking meat.
Wildlife: The nut is eaten by squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, bluejays, nuthatches, turkeys, and many other kinds of wildlife. Native Americans used the nut as a staple food in their fall diet, mashing the nuts and mixing them with water to extract the oil to use in making various types of cakes.
Horticulture: In Iowa, the shagbark hickory is sometimes used for reforestation and woodlot improvement, but it grows more slowly than oaks and most other native trees. Because it is slow-growing and has a massive taproot when young, which makes it difficult to transplant, this species is seldom used in landscaping.
