Habitat

• native from New England down through Texas
• hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

• large deciduous tree
• 50' to 75' tall
• oval, open crown
• coarse texture
• medium growth rate

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• pinnately compound leaves
• one foot to two feet long
• up to 23 leaflets
• leaflets are up to 5" long
• leaflets are serrated
• dark green leaf color
• leaves emit odor when crushed

Autumn Foliage

• yellow fall color

Flowers

• monoecious
• male flowers are catkins, small scaley, cone-like buds
• female flowers are up to 8-flowered spikes
• not ornamentally important

Fruit

• fruit is a nut
• semi-fleshy covering green changing to black and breaking open
• seeds are edible and oily

Bark

• dark brown to grayish black
• deep narrow furrows
• diamond-shaped pattern
• stout stems
• bitter tasting

Culture

• difficult to transplant
• prefers moist, well-drained soil, rich and deep soil
• full sun

Landscape Use

• for food
• for fruit
• lawn trees
• parks and wide open spaces

Liabilities

• fruits can be messy

ID Features

• large pinnately compound leaves with numerous leaflets
• downy, terminal buds, 0.33" long
• stout stems
• leaves emit odor
• fruit is a nut

Propagation

• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Laciniata' - This is a rare form with leaflets that are fern-like and dissected with fine texture.