Hickory Trees
Scientific name: Carya
Lewisboro is at the extreme edge of the northern range for hickories, as these are trees of the southern United States. Along with the Oak tree, these two form a large ecosystem covering much of the eastern United States (see map range below). There are four species of hickory that grow in Lewisboro, the shagbark (ovata), pignut (glabra), bitternut (cordiformus) and mockerberry (tormentosa). These majestic trees can grow to 100 feet and are known for their hard, dense wood as well as beautiful fall color.
Leaves
The leaves of the hickory are called, in botanical terms, “alternately, pinnately compound”. Looking at the illustration, one leaf consists of an odd number of leaflets. In autumn they turn gold.
Look at the illustration on the bottom of the page for more tips on identifying this tree by its leaves.
Fruit
Nuts ripen in fall.
Flowers
Both male and female flowers occur on the same tree. The male flowers are the drooping catkins and the female flowers are inconspicuous. The wind will help to fertilize the female flower.
Bark
Smooth when young.
- The bitternut hickory’s (Carya cordiformis) hard, thin gray bark develops a silver cast and shallowly ridged furrows as it ages. They sometimes create a faint “X” pattern.
- The pignut hickory’s (Carya glabra) smooth, light-gray bark deepens and forms scaly ridges over time, with a more defined “X” pattern of ridges and furrows than bitternut hickory.
- The mockernut hickory’s (Carya tormentosa) interlaced bark resembles a lattice.
- The shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) takes its name from the way its long, flat strips of its light-gray bark curl away from its trunk like a coat of shaggy fur.
Habitat
The hickory tree is in a distinct habitat in Lewisboro, known as the Oak-Hickory Forest covering about 25% of the town.
Hickories grow in a range of conditions with the shagbark and bitternut growing in moist valleys, mockernut growing in well-drained soil on hillsides and ridges, and pignut hickories growing in thin, dry soil on ridges.
Leaves
The leaves of the hickory are called, in botanical terms, “alternately, pinnately compound”. Looking at the illustration, one leaf consists of an odd number of leaflets. In autumn they turn gold.
Look at the illustration on the bottom of the page for more tips on identifying this tree by its leaves.
Fruit
Nuts ripen in fall.
Flowers
Both male and female flowers occur on the same tree. The male flowers are the drooping catkins and the female flowers are inconspicuous. The wind will help to fertilize the female flower.
Ecosystem Connections
- The nuts are valuable food for turkey, squirrels and others.
- The hickory tree is a host plant for several kinds of moths, such as the luna moth.
- Bats hibernate throughout the winter underneath the peeling bark of the shagbark hickory.
Human Connections
In addition to flooring and many other products which are fabricated from the hard hickory, its wood is also used to smoke and flavor foods in cooking.
How You Can Help
These are an excellent tree to grow on your own property and will do fine as the climate warms.
To Learn More
About the various species click here.
Fruit and Flowers
Shagbark
Oak-Hickory Forest
Range Map
Hickory Tree ID
Leaves in Fall
More on Trees and Shrubs in Lewisboro
Lewisboro was once entirely forested except for patches of open field caused by fire and wetlands and ponds which were expanded by beaver dams. Although it is hard to believe, by 1800 most of Lewisboro’s forests had been cut down and replaced by farms. In 1820 so many trees had been cleared that there was no shade anywhere along the route from Boston to New York.[1] But by the mid-1800’s farming here became uneconomical and as farms were abandoned, the forests began to re-grow. Today, 70% of New York is once again forest, what some call ‘the great environmental story of the United States’[2]. These new forests provide us with beauty and recreation, clean air and water, flood control, erosion prevention, carbon sequestration, cooler temperatures and habitat for other plants, insects, birds and other wildlife.
[1] Cronon, William. Changes in the Land. Macmillan, 1983.
[2] An Explosion of Green. B. Mckibben. Atlantic Monthly 275 (April 1995): 61-83.