Bitternut hickory is a medium to large, strong wooded, deciduous tree. About 11 to 12 of all hickory species are found in North America. Bitternut hickory is named for its acrid nuts, which are eaten by very few animal species. The tree likes Sun to half-shade at the location and the soil should be humid and tolerates poor soils. Table 1. Our trees. The fruit of these trees are in the form of nuts. Status: Common. Like all hickories, debris from its fruit drops from late summer throughout autumn, making fall cleanup in urban areas more challenging. Bitternut Leaf Habitat Branch of a Bitternut Hickory with developing nuts Bitternut hickory grows in moist mountain valleys along streambanks and in swamps. Stop by, email, or call. Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, http://hort.uconn.edu/plants, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA. You can search, browse, and learn more about the plants in our living collections by visiting our BRAHMS website. Get expert help from The Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic. Our communities. Habit and Life Cycle The Division of Forestry promotes and applies management for the sustainable use and protection of Ohio’s private and public forest lands. Native/Non-native: Native. Its deciduous compound leaves are toothed. The bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) is a tall slender tree, 60 to 80 feet tall. Leaves yellow-green with serrate margins, paler underneath. Mockernut hickory, black hickory, bitternut hickory, water hickory, pignut hickory, shellbark hickory, nutmeg hickory, and pecan. In bitternut hickory, the ratio of sapwood to heartwood is low; sapwood seldom … HABITAT: rich well-drained soils, including alluvial ridges and loess uplands; WETLAND DESIGNATION: In the Western Gulf Coast Subregion of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region, this species is Facultative Upland (FACU): usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands. Pignut hickory Gray green bark with tight narrow ridges; older bark scaly. Provides food and shelter for birds, insects, and wildlife. Hickories grow in a range of conditions with the shagbark and bitternut growing in moist valleys, mockernut growing in well-drained soil on hillsides and ridges, and pignut hickories growing in thin, dry soil on ridges. Books: Trees in Canada: 210. The following menu has 3 levels. Every species of hickory produces a different nut, but not all of these nuts are edible. Hickory bark beetle (Scolytus quadrispinosus) Phomopsis gall on hickory (Phomopsis spp.) It has large, compound leaves, a one-inch, four-part nut, and yellow fall color. Hickories at maturity can range in height from 60-150 ft tall. Fruits  are nuts with four-winged husks and are thin-shelled. Unfortunately, as the name implies, the nuts are not edible. Expand. While not poisonous, they are best left for the squirrels and other wildlife, given their unpleasant taste. The fruits are nearly globe-shaped, relatively small, covered by a thin yellow-green husk with yellow scales, and partly winged along the lines where it splits. Like all hickories, debris from its fruit drop from late summer throughout autumn, making fall cleanup in urban areas more challenging. Habitat. Bitternut hickory. Commonly found in low, wet areas, but can also grow in dry upland sites. The good news is, the trees grow wild in almost the entire Eastern half of the U.S. and are easy to identify. Shagbark hickory is found almost exclusively on the oak / hickory forest type whereas bitternut hickory is also an important component of the maple / beech / birch type. Our future. Like all hickories, debris from its fruit drop from late summer throughout autumn, making fall cleanup in urban areas more challenging. Apocarya Species: C. cordiformis Binomial name Carya cordiformis K.Koch Natural range Carya cordiformis, the bitternut hickory, also called bitternut or swamp hickory, is a large pecan hickory with commercial stands located mostly nort… The Morton Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on the generosity of members and donors. The Tree is a deciduous tree, it will be about 50 m (164 ft) high. Spring transplant only; develops a long taproot, making it difficult to transplant. Bitternut hickory generally prunes itself more readily than other hickories. Disease, pests, and problems Bitternut hickory: The mustard-colored bud of the bitternut hickory is a telling feature. Bitternut Hickory; Swamp Hickory: Habitat: Damp bottom lands and floodplains. use escape to move to top level menu parent. ... Habitat and conservation: Alternate, compound leaves have 7-11  lance-shaped leaflets. Bitter nut, non-edible. The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Associated Ecological Communities: ** Growth Habit: Tree: Duration: Perennial: Category: Vascular: USDA Symbol: ** Plant Notes: Bitternut Hickory is a large native deciduous tree in the Walnut family (Juglandaceae). From top level menus, use escape to exit the menu. Nutmeg hickory is the rarest species in the genus, occurring in a few areas scattered in southeastern North Carolina, eastern South Carolina, central Alabama and Mississippi, northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, eastern Texas, and northeastern Mexico.The species is typically found in river bottomlands with calcareous soil or marl ridges.