Hickories
Carya laciniosa
C. laciniosa (F. Michx.) Loudon.
Shellbark Hickory
Shellbark hickory is found
from western New York west to southeastern Iowa. It ranges south
to northeastern Oklahoma and over to Tennessee, with isolated
populations in southern Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama and
in northern Georgia (distribution
map). Shellbark is
usually found on deep, fertile, moist, bottom­land soils,
but in the northern part of its range can occur on dry, sandy
soils. Shellbark hickory is a minor component of the Bur Oak forest
and, especially in the south, of the Swamp Chestnut Oak­Cherrybark
Oak forest (Fowells, 1965).
The species is distinguished by its very large buds,
stout twigs which are buff to orange, lenticellate and glabrous,
and by the very thick (around 1 cm) husks. Nuts
are large, flattened four­angled, cream colored, and thick
shelled (4 mm), with sweet kernels. The flavor of the kernels
is considered by many to be inferior to shagbark hickory.
The bark of the tree exfoliates in plates,
as in shagbark hickory. Trees tend to be shorter and with heavier
branches than shagbark. Often, rachises of the previous year remain
attached to the previous seasons twigs.
Over forty cultivars of shellbark hickory have been named, with
most originating in Iowa or Pennsylvannia (Grauke, 1988). Table
4 gives information on several promising cultivars of shellbark
hickory.
Shellbark hybridizes with pecan to form C. X nussbaumeri Sarg. This group of hybrids has attracted attention
for their large nut size. Noteworthy cultivars include 'McAllister',
which is widespread, but a poor nut producer, and 'Gerardi', which
is recommended as a rootstock for pecan in Tennessee (Thompson,
1984).
Shellbark hybridizes with shagbark to produce C. X dunbarii.
LJ Grauke
, Research Horticulturist
& Curator
USDA-ARS Pecan Genetics
10200 FM 50
Somerville, TX 77879
tele: 979-272-1402
fax: 979-272-1401
e-mail: ljg@tamu.edu
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