Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Carya Cordiformis

Size:

50'-60' tall, up to 100' tall

Leaves:

alternate, odd-pinnately compound, 6"-10" long, with 7-9 (rarely 11) toothed leaflets; light green

Flowers:

inconspicuous

Fruit:

1" long, thin, 4-ridged husk, partly winged along the lines where it splits, with sharp tips, thin-shelled, with bitter kernel

Fall Interest:

bright yellow to yellow-brown; deciduous

Culture:

sun; rich, well-drained soil

Disease/Insect:

Use:

moth host plant, such as for the luna moth and the regal moth whose caterpillar is called hickory horned devil; wood highly shock-resistant so good for tool handles, and considered one of the best woods for smoking meats

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark gray and faintly tinged with yellow. with shallow furrows and low interlacing ridges, with thin, plate-like scales; mustard-yellow winter buds are distinct from other hickories; native to Arkansas