Cooperative Living October 2022 - 32

BRANCHING OUT
Shagbark Hickory
Y
by Steve Carroll, Contributing Columnist
The outer bark
The perfect name for a shaggy tree
ou could hardly find a better-named tree
than shagbark hickory, though paper birch,
striped maple and longleaf pine are in the
peels away in long,
rough plates that
curl up at the
ends.
running. The outer bark of a mature shagbark peels away
in long, rough plates that curl up at the ends, giving the tree
its distinctive shaggy look.
A much-shared family story centers on a shagbark hickory
in our former Missouri backyard. We set up an overhead
dog run from our deck to this tree at the edge of our yard,
and Darby, our fox terrier, spent many a happy morning in
its shade.
But all too often, we'd
hear the barking that told us
she had once again circled
the tree and caught her lead
under the tree's rough bark.
Shagbark hickory (Carya
ovata), a member of the
walnut family, is one of about
10 hickories in our area.
Shagbark grows naturally
from southwestern Maine
to southeastern Minnesota,
south to eastern Texas and
northern Georgia, with
isolated populations in
Mexico (zones 4-8). In our
region, it's more common
inland than along the coast.
Shagbark's dramatic,
unfolding leaves in spring.
Hickory's leaves are described as alternate
and compound: alternate, since they grow
singly, or one per node (the most common leaf
arrangement among our trees); and compound,
meaning each leaf is comprised of multiple leaflets. Shagbark
typically has five finely toothed leaflets, the terminal leaflet
being the largest.
Its small flowers open in the spring. Male flowers grow
in hanging clusters called catkins; female flowers are fewer
and less conspicuous. Hickory is wind pollinated, and if
fertilization is successful,
female flowers develop into
the familiar nuts that
characterize hickories.
SHAGBARK USES
These nuts are edible
The characteristic bark
that gives shagbark
hickory its common name.
SHAGBARK TRAIT
This is a large tree, reaching 60 to 80 feet or more, with
a canopy 50 to 70 feet across. It co-occurs with many other
mid-Atlantic hardwoods, particularly oaks, but it is rarely
the most common species in a forest.
It does best in moist, well-drained soil in sunny or partly
sunny sites, but also manages in dry sites. Shagbark is relatively
disease-free and tolerates urban settings, but it's messy,
dropping bark, leaves, twigs and nuts. Best not to park your
car under one.
This tree is attractive year-round. In the spring, the
expanding green leaves rise above pink pastel bud scales,
resembling a large flower. In the fall, leaves turn yellow to
golden brown. In winter, the bark stands out from that
of surrounding trees.
30 ● Cooperative Living ●
October 2022
straight from the husk, or
they can be made into
porridge or flour and baked
into cakes and muffins.
Hickory syrup, made by
boiling the bark, seems to
be making a comeback.
Native Americans made a
sweet, white milk from
hickory nuts.
Many butterfly and
moth caterpillars feed on
the leaves, and squirrels,
chipmunks, foxes, black
bears, wood ducks, bobwhite, turkeys and other mammals
and birds feast on the nuts. Brown creepers will even build
their nests under the bark plates.
Shagbark hickory makes a beautiful specimen or shade
tree, but it's most valuable economically for its hard, dense
wood used for tool handles, furniture, flooring and more.
Hickory is one of our densest woods and burns well in
wood stoves.
And for those who love barbecue, no picnic spread is
complete without an assortment of hickory-smoked meats. 
Steve Carroll is a botanist and ecologist who speaks and writes
about trees, gardening and the world of plants. He is the co-author
of " Ecology for Gardeners, " published by Timber Press.
co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY PLANT IMAGE LIBRARY VIA FLICKR
PHOTO BY STILLRIVERSIDE VIA FLICKR
PHOTO COURTESY
MARK NENADOV VIA FLICKR
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living October 2022

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