The species is very variable and no dependence can be placed upon such characters as pubescence of the twigs, leaves or fruit, size of the twigs, color of the anthers, size or shape of the nuts.
The wood of the shellbark and the big shellbark hickories is the most used of all the hickories because it is generally freer from knots and blemishes. Hickory is used principally for carriage and wagon stock, agricultural implements, handles and fuel. The supply of hickory is fast waning, and in the near future will be limited.
The hickories are very slow growing trees. They develop a long tap root, hence are hard to transplant. Hickory should constitute an important part of the woodlot. If this species is not well represented, germinated nuts should be planted. The nut of this species usually sells for $3.00 to $5.00 per bushel, which should encourage land owners to plant it in the open along fences and about the orchard. It should be remembered that hickory will not stand much tramping by stock.
3a. Carya ovata variety fraxinifòlia Sargent. Trees and Shrubs 2:207:1913. Is described as having leaflets lanceolate to slightly oblanceolate, acuminate, thick and firm in texture, lustrous above, pubescent along the midribs below, the terminal 1.4-1.5 dm. long from 4.4-5 cm. wide, and raised on a slender puberulous petiolule, the lateral leaflets unsymmetrical at the base, sessile, those of the lowest pair 7-9 cm. long, and from 2.5-3 cm. wide. Sargent[20] says "this variety occurs in Indiana," basing his authority upon my specimens of which he has duplicates. Heimlich[21] reports this variety from White County, and at the same time he reported the variety from Daviess, Martin and Wells Counties, based upon specimens collected by the author and determined by Sargent. I have carefully studied the specimens from Daviess, Martin and Wells Counties, and they do not agree with Sargent's description of the variety. While most of the leaves of the specimens in question agree with the description, some do not, which excludes it from the variety.
3b. Carya ovata variety Nuttallii Sargent. Trees and Shrubs 2:207:1913. This variety is described as having "nut rounded, obcordate or rarely pointed at apex, rounded or abruptly pointed at the base, much compressed, prominently angled, about 1.5 cm. long and 1-1.2 cm. thick; the involucre 4-10 mm. thick, splits freely to the base. Except in size of the fruit there appears to be no character by which the variety can be distinguished from the common Shagbark." Heimlich[22] reported this variety from Dekalb County, based upon specimens collected by the author and determined by Sargent. The nuts of the specimens from Dekalb County are 2 cm. long. The author has specimens from Wells County that agree with the description.
4. Carya laciniòsa (Michaux filius) Loudon. Big Shellbark Hickory. [Plate 25.] Large tall trees with trunks like those of the shellbark hickory; bark of young trees tight, beginning to scale when the trees reach a diameter of 1-2 dm., on older trees separating and scaling off into long thin narrow strips; twigs at the end of the season stout, 4-7 mm. thick near the tip, the twigs of the season hairy at first, becoming glabrous or nearly so by the end of autumn, yellowish or late in autumn a rusty brown, frequently retaining the leaf-stalks of the leaves of the previous season until spring which is peculiar to this species; terminal buds large, ovoid to ovoid-oblong, 10-25 mm. long; ordinary leaves 3-5 dm. long; leaflets 5-9, prevailing number 7, ovate to oblong-lanceolate or obovate, the largest 1-2 dm. long, velvety beneath when they unfold and remaining hairy beneath until maturity, rarely nearly glabrous; fruit ovate, subglobose, oblong or obovate, 3.5-7 cm. long; dry husk 3.5-11 mm. thick; nut variable, generally much compressed, up to 5.5 cm. long, usually circular in outline, but varying from ovate to obovate and oblong, usually each side has 2 or 3 ridges which extend more or less often to the base; shell very thick; kernel sweet; wood and uses same as that of the shellbark hickory.
CARYA LACINIOSA (Michaux filius) Loudon. Big Shellbark Hickory. (× 1/2.)
The nuts are from different trees to show variation.