Photo: Sixflashphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Shagbark Hickory
Carya ovata
Also called scalybark hickory, upland hickory.
Peeling plated bark, golden fall color and the sweetest wild nut in the eastern forest.
EdibleWildlife valueFall color
- Type
- Large tree
- Mature height
- 60–90 ft
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Sun
- Full
- Soil moisture
- Average
210
Shagbark hickory is the tree behind hickory-smoked everything, and its nuts rival pecans for flavor. It grows a long taproot, so plant it small and young and be patient; the first nuts take well over a decade. Hardy, drought tolerant once established, and host to over a hundred caterpillar species.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
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