Campus Tree Tour
Juglandaceae – Walnut Family
In 2024, this pignut hickory measured 81 feet tall and 17 inches in diameter. Based on USDA Forest Service models it will absorb approximately 1,995 lbs. of carbon over the next 20 years. Put simply, this tree will offset up to 8,074 car miles worth of carbon dioxide.
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Introduction
The pignut hickory is a medium-sized tree from the Eastern United States that provides shade on hot summer days. This long-lived tree has a high tolerance for urban environments, providing food to various animals. Additionally, the pignut hickory has become an essential element in many homes, either as flooring, cabinetry, or fuel for backyard barbeques.
Physical Description
Life expectancy: 200 years on average, up to 300 years
Height: 80 - 90 feet, up to 120 feet maximum
Crown: 30 - 40 feet spread
Diameter: 36 inches +
Bark: Brown bark that forms deep diamond-shaped (anastomosing) fissures as it ages
Leaves: Deciduous, compound (5-7 leaflets), and alternately arranged upon a stem. Its margins are serrate (with toothed edges), and the shape ranges from elliptical to more linear with a pointed tip.
Flowers: Yellow-green catkins (male) and small pistillate flowers (female) are produced in March in its southeastern range.
Fruits: Oval nuts with thick husks that turn from green to brown as they mature. Seeds are dispersed any time from September through December.
Key Identification Characteristics: Compound leaves, alternating arrangement, diamond-fissured bark, nut
Past and Present Uses
Pignut hickory wood is strong, hard, heavy, and tough, making it ideal for use in tool handles and mallets. Within homes, its wood replaced white oak wooden floors when white oak became too expensive from increased demand in whiskey barrel production. The tree is also useful for home décor such as cabinets and furniture, due to its durability. Hickory chips are often smoked to add flavor to barbequed meat, and its wood was historically used for heating homes.
Pignut hickory functions as a shade tree in the summer and early fall months as it creates a dense, oval canopy. However, it should not be placed in parking lots or on roadsides as the nuts can be a slip hazard and cause damage to vehicles.
Ecological Importance
Origin: Native to the United States
Native Range: Found from Florida, north to Massachusetts, and west of the Mississippi River
Figure 1. Native range of Pignut Hickory. Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey
In Florida, pignut hickory is often found in moderately dry to upland sites down to bottomland sites that periodically flood. They grow in hardwood or mixed hardwood ecosystems. Here, they may occupy either the canopy or the subcanopy. In Florida, the pignut hickory is commonly associated with sweetgum, southern magnolia, and oak trees.
Pignut hickories are an extremely important food source for wildlife. The nuts, rich in proteins and fats, are eaten by many game bird species such as wild turkeys and wood ducks. The nutritious nuts are also eaten by various mammals such as squirrels, black bears, foxes, raccoons, and more. Additionally, these trees are used as dens for squirrels and provide cover for other wildlife.
More Information
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST121
References
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. (2010). Natural Communities Guide. https://www.fnai.org/species-communities/natcom-guide
i-Tree. (2006). Tree tools - calculate the benefits of trees!. i-Tree. https://www.itreetools.org/
Sassmann, B. (2016, March 3). Wood Highlight: Hickory. Hardwood Distributors Association. https://hardwooddistributors.org/postings/species-highlight-hickory
Smalley, G. W. (1990). Carya glabra (Mill.). In R. M. Burns & B. H. Honkala (Eds.), Silvics of North America (Vol. 2, pp. 198–204). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
Tirmenstein, D. A. (1991). Carya glabra. Fire Effects Information System. https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/cargla/all.html
Tree Lifespans. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2024, from https://bigtree.cnre.vt.edu/lifespan.html