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Bitternut
hickory is a tall, slender tree with a broad pyramid-shaped
crown. It is found throughout the state on moist, rich soils.
Its leaves are.6 to 10 inches long with seven to nine long,
oval, toothed leaflets that are dark yellow-green above and
lighter below.
The 4-ribbed nut is about an inch long, roughly spherical, with
a thin shell. The meat of the nut is very bitter. The husk is
four-winged from the tip to about the middle and is covered
with yellowish -green, scruffy hairs. The bark on the trunk
is granite-gray and faintly tinged with yellow. It is less rough
than most of the hickories, yet it is broken into narrow, plate-like
scales.
At all seasons, the bitternut hickory can be identified from
all other native trees by its bright, scaly, yellow, long buds.
On bottomlands, it develops into a tree of 50 to 70 feet or
more, with a straight trunk 1 to 2 1/2 feet in diameter. The
wood is hard, strong and heavy; the heartwood is reddish brown.
It is said to be somewhat inferior to the other hickories, but
it is used for the same purposes: tool handles; furniture; interior
paneling; and sporting goods.
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