Carya ovalis

Taxobox


image_caption = Spicebark Hickory
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Fagales
familia = Juglandaceae
genus = "Carya"
species = "C. ovalis"
binomial = "Carya ovalis"
binomial_authority =

Background

"Carya ovalis", the Red Hickory, is a species of tree belonging to the Hickory ("Carya") and the larger Walnut (Juglandaceae) family of trees. The tree was once considered by many botanists to have been a hybrid species between the Shagbark Hickory ("Carya ovata") and the Pignut Hickory ("Carya glabra") but is now considered an individual species on its own. It is also known as the Spicebark Hickory or Sweet Pignut Hickory.

Physical Description

Crown

The Red Hickory is a medium to large tree with a straight, narrow to thick forming trunk that usually continues throughout the entire height of the tree, but occasionally splits off into two or three large, upright growing limbs. The branches of the tree are long and strong, with branches that are closest to the ground bending downwards and branches near the top of the crown growing slightly upwards with the branches in the middle being horizontal. This is a characteristic of all Hickory trees. The tree can live from 100 to 250 years.

Leaves

The Red Hickory bears compound, alternately developing leaves, commonly producing 7 leaflets, 6 in pairs down the length of the stem, and ending in one large terminal leaflet. 5 or 11 leaflets have been observed but are far less common than the regular 7. The leaflets are egg shaped, with a slimmer base and wider end, and present a serrated leaf edge collecting to form a pointed tip. The stems of the leaflets are tinged red or bronze, and have a bright red base that attaches it to the stem. The twig is brown colored with red veins and periodic blotches resembling venticles. the secondary buds are rounded with a fine, blunt point, and the terminal buds are larger, composed of tightly attached scales that stay firm through winter.

Bark

The bark of the Red Hickory is composed of sharp, furrowed bark with deep crevices in between the scales. On younger trees, the bark becomes very tight but can also for sections the scales occasionally curl up vertically away from the trunk, much like the Shagbark Hickory ("Carya ovata"). Middle aged trees have tight, shallow furrowed bark that is composed of tough interlocking scales. The coloring can range from grayish to dark brown with reddish highlights in between scales.

Fruit

The fruit of the Red Hickory is a single nut found inside an enclosed fleshy husk. The husk remains green and fleshy during the summer growing season and then dries out, thins, turns brown or black and once the nut is ripe. the husk is divided into four sections that remain tight during the summer and split apart in the autumn. The husk remains on the nut after maturity, and releases a characteristic spicy strong smell. The inner nut is a small, often one to two and a half inches, and is a light tan color with four ribs along the edges of the nut that meet a the tip to form a slight notch. The nut meat is edible, and can range from oily and sweet to oily and neutrally bitter in flavor. The nuts grow in small bunches of 2 or 3 or singularly on small stalks. The nuts mature in late summer and are born from long male catkins and female stipules that emerge with the leaves in late spring.

Distribution

The Red Hickory is native to the southeastern United States as well the extreme reaches of southern Ontario in Canada, where it is only found naturally along the southern edges of lake Ontario and the Niagara river. The other reaches of Southern Ontario it has also been known to occur in erratic bunches, however its mass population in Canada is surrounding the Niagara. The tree is usually found growing on unique formations of nutritious sandy or sandy loam soils over top of rocky limestone or clay soils. This makes the Niagara river and lake Ontario regions the perfect place for the Spicebark Hickory to reach its mature level in northern climates.