Carya glabra
Family - Juglandaceae - Walnut

The Pignut Hickory has golden yellow leaves in the fall, accompanied by small, globe shaped nuts. The leaf is compound, which means several smaller leaflets make up a full leaf. There will be either five or seven leaflets per leaf.

The Pignut Hickory usually occupies the higher, dryer hills in the forest. It is a fairly slow grower and will usually be found growing with White, Red, Black, or Post Oak. The nut is valuable food for wildlife, including all squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons. Whitetail Deer also utilize the nuts as a food source.

The Pignut Hickory is found in every state east of the Mississippi River, except for the extreme northeastern states of Maine and Vermont. West of the Mississippi it can be found in Missouri, Arkansas, and eastern Texas.

The wood of the Pignut Hickory, light brown to dark brown, is hard and very dense. It makes excellent firewood and is also used as lumber for many purposes. The trees can grow to over one hundred thirty feet tall

The golden fall leaves of the Pignut Hickory brighten the high slopes of the woodlands in the Eastern United States. Its nuts nourish wildlife and its wood furnishes firewood and furniture.

? 2006 Paul Wonning is the owner of Gardens and Nature.com a web site about gardening, hiking and other nature related topics.
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