Bitternut Hickory
Scientific Name: Carya cordiformis
— pronounced KAIR-yuh kord-ih-FOR-miss
— Carya from Greek káryon, meaning "nut"
— cordiformis from Latin cordis, heart, and formis, shape (probably referring to the shape of the fruit)
Walnut Family (Juglandaceae), which includes walnuts, hickories, and pecans
Other Common Names: Bitternut, Bitter Hickory, Bitter Pecan, Pig Hickory, Red Hickory, Swamp Hickory, White Hickory, Yellow-bud Hickory
— pronounced KAIR-yuh kord-ih-FOR-miss
— Carya from Greek káryon, meaning "nut"
— cordiformis from Latin cordis, heart, and formis, shape (probably referring to the shape of the fruit)
Walnut Family (Juglandaceae), which includes walnuts, hickories, and pecans
Other Common Names: Bitternut, Bitter Hickory, Bitter Pecan, Pig Hickory, Red Hickory, Swamp Hickory, White Hickory, Yellow-bud Hickory
All photos by David Rosher
Bitternut Hickory bark is thin, tight, and hard; gray with shallow furrows and interlacing ridges. It’s never loose and shaggy like the bark of Shagbark and Red Hickories. The compound leaves are 7 to 10 inches long, with 7 to 11 leaflets having finely toothed margins. The leaflets are often narrower than those of other hickory species.
The Bitternut Hickory’s buds are distinctive and useful for identification – if you can get to one! They’re a bright sulfur or mustard yellow. The fruits are about one inch long. They have a thin husk (1⁄8”), with "wings" at the sutures, where they split partway. And the kernel or nut is, indeed, bitter. Since it’s not a wildlife favorite, it’s mostly dispersed by — gravity!
Bitternut Hickory bark is thin, tight, and hard; gray with shallow furrows and interlacing ridges. It’s never loose and shaggy like the bark of Shagbark and Red Hickories. The compound leaves are 7 to 10 inches long, with 7 to 11 leaflets having finely toothed margins. The leaflets are often narrower than those of other hickory species.
The Bitternut Hickory’s buds are distinctive and useful for identification – if you can get to one! They’re a bright sulfur or mustard yellow. The fruits are about one inch long. They have a thin husk (1⁄8”), with "wings" at the sutures, where they split partway. And the kernel or nut is, indeed, bitter. Since it’s not a wildlife favorite, it’s mostly dispersed by — gravity!
More photos and ID help: Va Tech Dendrology & Minnesota Wildflowers
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
- Although it’s usually found on wet bottom lands, Bitternut Hickory also grows on dry sites and does well on poor soils low in nutrients. It occurs throughout the Preserve.
- Bitternut Hickories are moderately fast-growing. Their lives are short compared with other hickories — only about 200 years. Small specimens can sometimes be found in dense shade under Sugar Maples, White Oaks, Black Walnuts, and other trees.
- Though humans find the nut too bitter, squirrels and mice do eat them. The leaves have a high calcium content and improve the soil as they decay, putting the Bitternut Hickory near the top among soil-improving species.