Habitat

• native to Maine down through Florida
• hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

• a tall, deciduous tree
• cylindrical, narrow shape
• 50' to 60' tall and 25' to 35' wide
• medium to coarse texture
• medium growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• odd pinnately compound, deciduous leaves
• 5 to 7 leaflets, terminal leaflet is largest
• 8" to 12" long
• sharply toothed
• yellow-green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• yellow fall color
• peak is in October

Flowers

• catkins
• not ornamentally important

Fruit

• rounded nut
• 0.75" to 1.25" in diameter
• thick shell surrounds nut, splits at base when mature
• edible
• brown

Bark

• smooth, gray-brown color
• ridges
• stout stems

Culture

• prefers fertile, well-drained soil
• has a large taproot, which makes transplanting difficult
• full sun to partial shade

Landscape Uses

• for fruit
• for unique bark
• naturalized areas
• for barbecues (hickory smoked meat)

Liabilities

• fruit can be a litter problem
• few pest and disease problems

ID Features

• alternate leaf arrangement
• odd pinnately compound leaf with 5 to 7 leaflets, terminal leaflet is largest
• edible round nut
• sharply toothed leaves

Propagation

• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

• none