Uses: Tool handles, fuel; the nuts are tasty.
Habitat: Low, shaded woods.
Range: Maine across to Minnesota, south to eastern Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Shagbark Hickory is distinguished by its shaggy bark, its usually 5 large leaflets, and its large winter buds.
BLACK HICKORY
Carya texana Buckl.
Other Names: Red Hickory; Texas Hickory; Buckley’s Hickory.
Growth Form: Small tree up to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 1 foot; crown oblong to rounded, with numerous, small branchlets; trunk straight or somewhat crooked, slender but sturdy.
Bark: Brown to black, not scaly or peeling off into shreds, becoming somewhat furrowed and ridged at maturity.
Twigs: Slender, gray, tough, almost always smooth; leaf scars alternate, three-lobed, not elevated, usually with several bundle traces.