Carya
glabra (P. Miller) Sweet
Common
names: pignut hickory, hairy pignut hickory, sweet pignut.
Synonyms: Carya glabra (P. Miller) Sweet var. glabra,
Carya glabra (P. Miller) Sweet var. hirsuta (Ashe) Ashe,
Carya glabra (P. Miller) Sweet var. megacarpa (Sargent)
Sargent, Carya glabra (P. Miller) Sweet var. odorata
(Marshall) Little, Carya leiodermis Sargent, Carya magnifloridana
Murrill, Carya microcarpa (Nuttall) Britton, Carya ovalis
(Wangenheim) Sargent, Carya ovalis (Wangenheim) Sargent var.
hirsuta (Ashe) Boivin, Carya ovalis (Wangenheim) Sargent
var. hirsuta (Ashe) Sargent, Carya ovalis (Wangenheim)
Sargent var. obcordata (Muhlenberg & Willdenow) Sargent,
Carya ovalis (Wangenheim) Sargent var. obovalis Sargent,
Carya ovalis (Wangenheim) Sargent var. odorata (Marshall)
Sargent, Hicoria austrina Small, Hicoria glabra (P.
Miller) Britton, Hicoria glabra (P. Miller) Britton var. hirsuta
Ashe, Hicoria microcarpa (Nuttall) Britton, Juglans glabra
P. Miller.
Family: Juglandaceae.
Brief
description:
A medium to large-sized, deciduous tree, typically ranging from 15–30
m (50–100 ft.) tall when fully grown. Buds are relatively large (3–15
mm long), and reddish brown to tan, with imbricate bud scales. Twigs
are relatively slender. Bark of mature trunks is gray, with furrows
and ridges, sometimes with small exfoliating scales, but not shaggy.
Leaves are alternate, large (15–60 cm long), and pinnately compound,
with 5–7 (occasionally 3 or 9) leaflets. Leaflets are oblancoleate
to obovate or lanceolate to oval in shape, with coarsely to finely
serrate margins. The lower surface of leaflets with no hairs to densely
hairy. Leaves produce a pungent odor when bruised or crushed. Petioles
lack hairs at the base, but become hairy closer to the rachis, which
also lacks hairs or is finely hairy. Separate male and female inflorescences
occur on the same tree, the male flowers in drooping catkins, the
female flowers in short, terminal clusters. Fruits are typically medium
to large sized (2.5–5 cm long), often pear-shaped nuts, enclosed in
a moderately thick (2–5 mm) husk that often splits into four sections,
although sometimes not splitting at all, or only along one or two
sutures.
USDA
Profile
Herbarium
sheet images:
Live
specimen images:
Individual
leaf 1 Individual
leaf 2 Branchlet
with buds Close-up
of buds Close-up
of leaf scar