Carya ovata (Shagbark hickory)

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Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch

Shagbark hickory

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fagales	Birch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others
Family	Juglandaceae	Walnut family
Genus	Carya	Greek κάρυον, “nut”
Species	ovata	Refers to the ovate (egg-shaped) leaves

About plant names...

Shagbark hickory is common in eastern North America.

Plants: Trees are 70-100' (21-30 m) tall, rarely up to 150' (45 m). The bark is smooth and gray when young, becoming "shaggy" with age, with long loose scales.

Leaves: 8-14" (20-35 cm) long, pinnate, in groups of 5 or 7. They are pale green and fuzzy on the bottom; oval-shaped, pointed on both ends, with small sharp serrations.

Flowers: Staminate (male) flowers are borne on long-stalked catkins at the tip of old wood or in the axils of the previous season’s leaves. Pistillate (female) flowers occur in short terminal spikes.

Fruits: Shagbark hickory nuts are green. This is really a husk, consisting of four sections that open as they dry, releasing the nuts inside. Nuts are ⅞-1½" (2.5-4 cm) long, with very hard shells.

Edibility: Nuts are edible, and have a sweet, nutty taste.

Online References:

Www.carolinanature.com

The University of Connecticut Plant Database

The Vanderbilt University Bioimages web site

The USDA Forest Service's Silvics of North America site

Wikipedia

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Floridata.com

The University of Florida Environmental Horticulture site (PDF)

EFloras

References:

Sibley, David Allen, The Sibley Guide to Trees, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, p. 143

11/5/2009 · Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

9/23/2017 · Summit of Mt. Agamenticus, York, Maine
≈ 4 × 6½' (1.3 × 2.0 m)

5/2/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)

11/5/2009 · Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

5/31/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

8/22/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

4/14/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts

7/31/2018 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 4" (12 × 10 cm)

7/31/2018 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hampshire
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 16 cm)

Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch var. fraxinifolia Sarg.

Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch var. nuttallii Sarg.

Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch var. pubescens Sarg.

Hicoria alba Britton p.p.

Hicoria borealis Ashe

Hicoria ovata (Mill.) Britton

Carya ovata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 5 Sep 2023.

1/5/2012 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 31 × 46" (78 × 117 cm)

Very young stage. · 5/12/2007 · Pepperell, Massachusetts

Older bark is shaggy and loose. · 5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 14 × 21" (34 × 52 cm)

4/28/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 4 × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

4/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 9" (17 × 23 cm)

7/31/2018 · Andres Art Institute, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

Young bark is smooth, with vertical stripes. · 5/31/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm)

5/21/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)

Details of leaf underside. · 5/31/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts

Range:

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