Carya ovata, the听shagbark hickory, is a common听听in the听听and southeast听. It is a large,听听, growing well over 100听ft (30听m) tall, and can live more than 350听years. The tallest measured shagbark, located in Savage Gulf, Tennessee, is over 150听ft (46听m) tall[]. Mature shagbarks are easy to recognize because, as their name implies, they have shaggy bark. This characteristic is, however, only found on mature trees; young specimens have smooth bark.
The shagbark hickory's nut is edible and has a nutty taste. The听听are 30鈥�60听cm (12鈥�24听in) long,听, with five (rarely three or seven) leaflets, the terminal three leaflets much larger than the basal pair. The shagbark hickory is听. Staminate flowers are borne on long-stalked听听at the tip of old wood or in the axils of the previous season's leaves. Pistillate flowers occur in short terminal spikes.听The听听is a听听2.5 to 4.0听cm (1 to听1+1鈦�2听in) long, an edible听听with a hard, bony shell, contained in a thick, green four-sectioned husk which turns dark and splits off at maturity in the fall.听The terminal buds on the shagbark hickory are large and covered with loose scales.听Shagbark hickory nuts were a significant food source for the Algonquins.听,听,听,听, and听听are consumers of hickory nuts.听Other consumers include听, gray and red foxes, rabbits, and bird species such as mallards, wood ducks, bobwhites, and wild turkey.
The two varieties are:
- Carya ovata听var.听ovata听(northern shagbark hickory) has its largest leaflets over 20听cm (8听in) long and nuts听3.0鈥�4.0听cm (1+1鈦�8鈥�1+5鈦�8听in) long.
- Carya ovata听var.听australis听(southern shagbark hickory or Carolina hickory) has its largest leaflets under 20听cm (8听in) long and nuts听2.5鈥�3.0听cm (1鈥�1+1鈦�8听in) long.
Some sources regard southern shagbark hickory as the separate species听Carya carolinae-septentrionalis.
Name
The word听hickory听is an听听form from earlier听pohickory, short for even earlier听pokahickory, borrowed from the Virginia听听word听pawcohiccora, hickory-nut meat or a听听drink made from it.听Other names for this tree are Carolina Hickory, Scalybark Hickory, Upland Hickory, and Shellbark Hickory, with older听听of听Carya ovata var. fraxinifolia,听Carya ovata var. nuttallii,听Carya ovata var. pubescens,听Hicoria alba,听Hicoria borealis, and听Hicoria ovata.
Distribution
Shagbark hickory is found throughout most of the eastern United States, but it is largely absent from the听听and听听and lower听听areas.听An isolated population grows in eastern Canada as far north as Lavant Township, Canadian zone 4b.听Scattered locations of shagbark hickory occur in the听听of eastern听.
Shagbark hickory was introduced in听听in the 17th century. It can still be found in听听as a non-native species.
Uses
The nuts are edible听with an excellent flavor, and are a popular food among people and squirrels alike. They are unsuitable to commercial or orchard production due to the long time it takes for a tree to produce sizable crops and unpredictable output from year to year. Shagbark hickories can grow to enormous sizes but are unreliable bearers. The nuts can be used as a substitute for the听听in colder climates and have nearly the same culinary function.
C. ovata听begins producing seeds at about 10 years of age, but large quantities are not produced until 40 years and will continue for at least 100. Nut production is erratic, with good crops every 3 to 5 years, in between which few or none appear and the entire crop may be lost to animal predation.
, the seventh president of the United States, was popularly nicknamed Old Hickory, a play on the toughness of hickory wood.听In 1830, he began planning the construction of his tomb at听, his plantation in听. The grave site was surrounded by a variety of trees, including six shagbark hickories. They stood there for 168 years until a storm in 1998 demolished over 1,200 trees at the site. Work on replanting them remains an ongoing project. In modern times, shagbark hickory is rarely used as an ornamental due to its large size, slow growth, difficulty of transplanting (all Juglandaceae species have large taproots) and nut litter.
Hickory nuts were a food source for听,听who used the kernel milk to make corn cakes,听听and听.
Shagbark hickory听听is used for听听听and for making the听听of Native Americans of the northern area. The lumber is heavy, hard, and tough, weighing 63听lb/ cu ft when air-dried,听and has been employed for implements and tools that require strength. These include axles, axe handles, ploughs, skis, and drum sticks.
The bark of the shagbark hickory is also used to flavor a听-style syrup.
Prehistoric Indigenous Use
Shagbark hickory nuts were an important staple of indigenous diet. Excavation of an ancient (ca. 4350鈥�4050 cal BP) site at Victor Mills in Columbia County, Georgia found hickory nuts, processing tools and other artifacts indicating large-scale processing and storage of nuts.
Genetics
Shagbark hickory hybridizes with听,听Carya illinoensis, and shellbark hickory,听C. laciniosa听(C.听x听dunbarii听Sarg.). Shagbark hickory has 32 chromosomes. In general, species within the genus with the same chromosome number are able to cross. Numerous hybrids among the听Carya听species with 32 chromosomes (pecan,听,听, and shagbark) have been described, though most are unproductive or have other flaws. A few听 varieties are commercially propagated.