The Pignut Hickory tree, Carya glabra, has medium green broad, flat leaves and firm, gray bark. The bark may be marked in a sort of diamond pattern by shallow furrows and narrow ridges. This tree grows well in fairly rich, well drained to dry soils. It occurs with other hickories and with oaks, characteristically on hillsides and ridges.
Pignut Hickory trees, as with other hickories, has wood that is tough and strong. The nuts of this particular hickory, unlike some of the others, are bitter and scarcely edible. The nuts they are an important food for squirrels and chipmunks and other wildlife. This shade tree turns a bright yellow for great fall color.