Missouri Department of Conservation
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Black Hickory

Carya texana
Family: 
Juglandaceae (walnuts)
Description: 

A small to medium tree with short, crooked branches and a narrow crown.

Leaves alternate, feather-compound, 8–12 inches long. Leaflets usually 7, lance- to pear-shaped, 4–6 inches long, toothed; lower surface yellow-green with rusty hairs; leaf stalks with rusty hairs and tiny scales.

Bark dark gray to black, tight, not scaly, with irregular blocky ridges and deep furrows.

Twigs slender, often crooked, tapering abruptly to the terminal bud. Young twigs and terminal buds have fuzzy, rusty scales with tiny yellow dots.

Flowers April–May. Male and female flowers separate on the same tree. Male catkins in threes, 2–3 inches long; female flowers 1–2 with reddish hairs.

Fruits September–October, single or in small clusters. Nuts globe- or pear-shaped, 1¼–2 inches long, rather flattened; husk thin, brown, covered with yellow scales; kernel small, round, sweet, edible.

Distinguished from pignut hickory by 7 (not 5) leaflets, tapering twigs and the yellow bud dots.

Size: 
Height: to 80 feet.
Habitat and conservation: 
Black hickory is usually found in acid soils derived from chert, sandstone or igneous rock in rocky or dry upland woods. It often grows where fertility is low and is usually considered an indicator of poor soil.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Widespread south of the Missouri River.
Human connections: 
The strong, hard wood is brittle and commonly used for fuel. The thick shell of the nut makes the kernel hard to extract, but hogs sometimes crack them, hence the other common name, "Ozark pignut hickory."
Ecosystem connections: 
Squirrels and mice eat the nuts, and squirrels also eat the buds. Hickory leaves are required food for many of Missouri's most beautiful and remarkable moths. The larva of the giant regal moth is called the hickory horned devil—not a very dignified name for the largest caterpillar on the continent!

Other Content You May Like

  • Bitternut Hickory

    Of the several hickories in Missouri, bitternut hickory is the only one with long, bright yellow buds. Its common name refers to the bitter taste of the nut—but the flavor doesn't put off squirrels, mice and deer!

  • Mockernut Hickory

    Missouri is rich with hickory trees. This hickory stands out from the rest for its hard wood, thick-shelled fruit enclosing relatively small kernels, large and light-colored terminal buds and tight, never shaggy, bark.

  • Shagbark Hickory

    Many Missouri trees are quite useful, and shagbark hickory is a great example. Its wood makes excellent, slow-burning charcoal, its nuts are edible and its wood is used for many implements. Wildlife from moths to squirrels to bats appreciate shagbarks, too!

  • Pecan

    One of Missouri’s favorite nut trees is the pecan, which is a type of hickory—and hickories are in the walnut family! Originally pecan had a fairly limited, southern distribution, but today it is found in and out of cultivation nearly statewide, owing to the popularity of the nuts.

  • Shellbark Hickory (Big Shagbark Hickory)

    This is the largest of the true hickories and has the best-tasting hickory nuts in Missouri. Compared to shagbark hickory, it has larger leaves and more leaflets, plus large nuts and orange twigs.

  • Water Hickory (Bitter Pecan)

    Water hickory grows on ground that is often under water during part of the year. The bitter nuts are consumed by ducks and other wildlife.

  • Pignut Hickory

    A rugged hickory of dry upland forests in the eastern Ozarks, the pignut has pear-shaped fruits with thin husks. Settlers were unimpressed with the nuts’ flavor and fed them to their hogs!

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