Bitternut Hickory (Swamp Hickory, Pig Hickory)
Carya cordiformis · Juglandaceae (Walnut family)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Compound (pinnate, typically with 7-9 leaflets), deciduous
Shape
Lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate with an acuminate tip
Margin
Serrate (finely toothed)
Arrangement
Alternate
Venation
Pinnate with a prominent yellowish midrib and clearly defined secondary veins
Key Features
Distinguished easily from other hickories by its bright yellow, naked (valvate) winter buds, slender twigs, and compound leaves featuring 7 to 9 relatively narrow, finely toothed leaflets.
Description
Bitternut Hickory is a large, handsome deciduous tree known for its distinctive bright yellow, sulfur-colored winter buds. It typically grows up to 60-100 feet tall with a straight trunk and a rounded crown. The bark is relatively smooth for a hickory when young, later developing shallow furrows with tight, narrow ridges. In spring it produces catkins, followed by rounded, four-ribbed nuts encased in husks that split midway.
Habitat
Found primarily in moist bottomland forests, along streams, and occasionally in drier upland sites, preferring rich, moist soils and full sun to partial shade.
Native Range
Native to eastern North America, ranging from southern Quebec and Ontario south to Florida, and west to Texas and Minnesota.