Shellbark Hickory
Carya laciniosa
Avg. Rating:
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Shellbark Hickory
Details:
Plant Facts Mature Height | 80 - 100 feet | Mature Spread | 60 - 75 feet | Soil Type | Widely Adaptable | Moisture | Widely Adaptable | Mature Form | Tall, Narrow Crown | Growth Rate | Moderate | Sun Exposure | Full Sun - Partial Sun | Flower Color | Not Showy | Fall Color | Yellow | Foliage Color | Green | | 5-9 |
The Shellbark Hickory tree, Carya laciniosa, is also know as bigleaf shagbark, kingnut, big shellbark, bottom shellbark, thick shellbark and western shellbark). This deciduous tree is similar to that of the Shagbark Hickory, but often not quite as shaggy. The fruit is larger than other hickories. This is a big tree and it prefers wet, fertile bottomland. It is less common than either the Shagbark or Bitternut Hickories. The wood is similar to that of the Shagbark Hickory and is used in much the same way. Its sweet, huge nuts are relished by squirrels and give it an alternative common name of King Nut Hickory, due to their being the largest of the hickories. Like other hickories, it is very tolerant of summer drought.The nuts of shellbark hickory are utilized by wildlife (ducks, quail, wild turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, foxes, raccoons, and white-footed mice) and man. This tall shade tree displays a yellow fall color.
Reviews:
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A Beautiful Tree, 4/27/2007 3:06:39 PM
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Reviewer: aorian
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I grew up in rural Western Kentucky, right on the banks of the Mississippi River. I spent lots of time hunting squirrel and cutting fire wood, and thus I had to learn my trees. Shellbark & Shagbark Hickories were very easy to distinguish from the other trees, though somewhat more difficult to tell apart from on another unless you could see the nuts. Shellbarks in the bottoms along the Mississippi and Ohio River bottoms, often produce tennis ball to baseball size nuts (including the outside husk), and offer the best and largest meat nuts. Which are excellent for candy, fudge, brownies, pies, or eaten raw! As for anything other than rodents and man eating them, that isnt true. Hickory nuts take a determined effort to get into them, and only a good hammer or the super sharp teeth of a rodent like a squirrel, chipmunks, rat or mouse has any hope of getting through the rock hard shells. Ducks, wild turkey, deer, raccoons, and foxes have little hope of getting through shell. This is truly a beautiful tree, and is very majestic especially in a yard, though it could pose a lawn mowing hazard, and sounds like you are running over rocks when you mow over them. It is best to collect the nuts as they fall, if you plant them in a yard, and when you mow, make sure the discharge is pointing away from windows, animals and people, as those nuts can break windows and raise a knot on your head... they also pose a eye hazard to by-standards during mowing around the trees. Both Shagbark and Shellbark Hickories have very beautiful bright orange to golden yellow leaves color in the fall, and healthy trees are very resistant to ice strom damage or wind damage.
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