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Carya tomentosa
Carya tomentosa (Lam.) Nutt.
Mockernut Hickory, Mockernut Hickory, Big Bud Hickory, Mockernut, White Hickory, Whiteheart Hickory, Fragrant Hickory, Bigbud Hickory, Hardbark Hickory, Hognut, Bullnut
Juglandaceae (Walnut Family)
Synonym(s): Carya alba, Carya tomentosa var. subcoriacea, Hicoria tomentosa, Juglans alba
USDA Symbol: CATO6
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
Mockernut hickory is a 50-60 ft. tree which can reach 100 ft. in height on good soil. Its dark bark is rough and thin with shallow furrows and narrow ridges forming a net-like pattern. It does not peel like Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Pinnately compound, deciduous leaves turn bright, golden-yellow if the tree has not suffered drought. Small, barely edible nuts are enclosed in a large, thick shell.
Formerly listed in NPIN as Carya alba. The wood of this common hickory and related species is prized for furniture, flooring, tool handles, baseball bats, skis, and veneer. Hickory wood has a very high fuel value, both as firewood and as charcoal, and is the preferred wood for smoking hams. People must arrive early to gather hickory nuts before they are consumed by squirrels and other wildlife. The former Latin species name, tomentosa, meaning "densely covered with soft hairs," describes the undersurfaces of leaflets, a characteristic that makes this tree easily identifiable.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Complexity: Pinnate
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Nut
Size Notes: Up to about 100 feet tall.
Leaf: Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit: Light reddish brown
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Apr
Distribution
USA: AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , TN , TX , VA , WVNative Distribution: MA & NY to c. IL, s.e. IA, MO & e. KS, s. to e. TX & n. FL
Native Habitat: Dry, upland forests & ridges
Growing Conditions
Water Use: MediumLight Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Dry, sandy to mesic, rich soils.
Conditions Comments: Carya tomentosa is slow-growing and long-lived. Nearly impossible to transplant because of a large taproot. Difficult to find in commerce. Responds best in sunny, fertile sites. Nuts present a problem in manicured landscapes. Stressed trees are subject to hickory bark beetle.
Benefit
Use Wildlife: Serves as a primary host for some magnificent moths.Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Luna, funeral dagger, and giant regal.
Propagation
Description: Most easily grown from fresh seed sown immediately after collection or stratified and sown in spring. Increase by hardwood cuttings is usually successful.Seed Collection: Collect nuts from September to November. Husks usually dry and split open by themselves when the nuts are mature. Persistent husks can be removed with a corn sheller.
Seed Treatment: Embyro dormancy can be overcome by moist stratification at 33-40 degrees for 30-150 days. Older seeds require less stratification.
Commercially Avail: yes
Find Seed or Plants
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE
Wellspring Organic Farm and Education Center - West Bend, WI
Bibliography
Bibref 298 - Field Guide to Texas Trees (1999) Simpson, B.J.Bibref 1620 - Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Reprint Edition) (2009) Wasowski, S. with A. Wasowski
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Additional resources
USDA: Find Carya tomentosa in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Carya tomentosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Carya tomentosa
Metadata
Record Modified: 2015-11-12Research By: TWC Staff