Carya glabra

This plant is not currently for sale.  This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

The Pignut Hickory is one of the tallest (eighty to one hundred-foot range) hickory trees comprising the Oak-Hickory Forests of Eastern North America. The trunk is generally straight and the crown of the tree slender, casting an open shade. Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound, eight to twelve inches long, with 5 (sometimes 7) leaflets. Leaflets are lance-shaped with serrated margins. In the fall they turn a briliant yellow which lasts longer than those of other hickory species. The nuts are one to two inches long, ripening in the fall. The foliage supports the larvae of a very large number of butterflies, moths, beetles, leafhoppers, etc. whch in turn attract insectivorous songbirds. The nuts support squirrrels of various types, as well as other small mammals and large birds. The Hickory wood is hard, used for all sorts of implements, and makes excellent fuel for wood-burning stoves. Although a desirable tree, it is difficult to transplant because of its early-developing tap root. One of our top favorite shade trees.