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Juglandaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Carya ovata

Carya ovata

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthSlow

Carya ovata grows best in a humid climate. It is one of the hardiest of the hickory species and has successfully adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions. Within its natural range, average annual rainfall varies from 760 - 2,030mm, with 510 - 1,020mm occurring during the growing season. Average snowfall usually is less than 30mm in the south, rising to 2,540mm or more in the north. Average annual temperatures vary from as low as 4°c in the north to nearly 21°c in the south. Average January temperature through the range vary from minus 9° to plus 13°c, while average July temperatures vary from 18° - 27°c. Extreme temperatures ranging from as low as minus 40°c to as high as 46°c have been recorded.. The average growing season also varies widely from about 140 days in the North to 260 days in the South[1]. Prefers a deep moisture-retentive loam in a sunny sheltered position, requiring a good summer for best development[2, 3, 4, 5]. Succeeds in drier soils than most members of this genus[5]. A very ornamental but slow-growing tree[2, 6, 7]. Trees take 15 years to come into flower from seed[8] and reach commercial seedbearing age at around 40 years with maximum seed production occurring from 60 - 200 years, and some seed being produced up to 300 years. Good seed crops occur at intervals of 1 to 3 years with light crops or no seed during the intervening years[1]. The tree resprouts well from the stump and from the roots if it is cut down, making it of potential use as a coppice species for fuel wood[1]. The tree grows well in Britain, especially when young[6, 4], and does well in Cornwall[9]. The tree has a loose grey bark that comes away in broad flakes and gives the tree its common name[6]. The shagbark hickory is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, there are some named varieties[10]. It tends to be low-yielding[8] and is said to be of no value in Britain as a commercial nut crop[6]. This species is the fastest growing hickory in N. America, it can fruit in ten years from seed[4]. Recommended cultivars (these are often hybrids with Carya cathayensis or Carya laciniosa) include:- Shagbarks - 'J Yoder No. 1', heavy cropping and early[5]. 'Porter'. 'Weschcke', a very thin shell and regular cropper[5]. 'Wilcox', an excellent producer[5]. Shellbarks (these are more likely to be hybrids with C. laciniosa) - 'Fayette', thin shelled[5]. 'Henry', a very large nut[5]. Cultivated as a timber tree in C. Europe[11]. Plants are strongly tap-rooted and should be planted in their permanent positions as soon as possible[2, 4]. Sowing in situ would be the best method so long as the seed could be protected from mice[2, 5]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[5]. Most species in this genus have quite a wide range of distribution and, in order to find trees more suited to a specific climate, seed from the most appropriate provenances should be sought[4]. Most trees growing in Britain at present tend to only produce good seed after hot summers[4]. Trees are self-fertile but larger crops of better quality seeds are produced if cross-pollination takes place[12]. The leaves are aromatic[13].

Propagation

Seed - requires a period of cold stratification. It is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[14]. Stored seed should be kept moist (but not wet) prior to sowing and should be sown in a cold frame as soon as possible[14]. Where possible, sow 1 or 2 seeds only in each deep pot and thin to the best seedling. If you need to transplant the seedlings, then do this as soon as they are large enough to handle, once more using deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Put the plants into their permanent positions as soon as possible, preferably in their first summer, and give them some protection from the cold for at least the first winter[14, PFAF]. Seed can also be sown in situ so long as protection is given from mice etc and the seed is given some protection from cold[5] (a plastic bottle with the top and bottom removed and a wire mesh top fitted to keep the mice out is ideal) Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Carya+ovata>

Pollinators

Wind

References

  1. [1]Silvics of North America. Agricultural Handbook No. 654. — Burns. R.M. & Honkala. B.H. · USDA Forest Service; Washington DC. · 1990 · http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm ↩︎A very comprehensice guide to about 200 species of timber trees of N. America, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Mainly temperate species, plus a number of tropical species. It is downloadable from the Internet.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]Nuts. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
  4. [4]The Plantsman. Vol. 9. 1986 - 1987. — ? · Royal Horticultural Society · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Carya spp and Crocus sativus.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  7. [7]Trees of North Texas — Vines. R.A. · University of Texas Press. · 1982 · ISBN 0292780206 ↩︎A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.
  8. [8]The Book of Edible Nuts. — Rosengarten. jnr. F. · Walker & Co. · 1984 · ISBN 0802707699 ↩︎A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.
  9. [9]Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. — Thurston. ↩︎Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.
  10. [10]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  11. [11]Flora Europaea — ? · Cambridge University Press · 1964 · ISBN - ↩︎An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
  12. [12]The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. — Elias. T. · Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. · 1980 · ISBN 0442238622 ↩︎A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
  13. [13]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  14. [14]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  15. [15]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  16. [16]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  17. [17]Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition — Fernald. M. L. · American Book Co.; New York · 1950 · ISBN 0442222505 ↩︎A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
  18. [18]A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. — Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. · Van Nostrand Reinhold · 1982 · ISBN 0442222009 ↩︎Very readable.
  19. [19]Manual of the Trees of N. America. — Sargent. C. S. · Dover Publications Inc. New York. · 1965 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ · ISBN 0-486-20278-X ↩︎Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  20. [20]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  21. [21]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  22. [22]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · Constable · 1974 · ISBN 0094579202 ↩︎Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
  23. [23]Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. — Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. · National Museum of Natural Sciences · 1978 · ISBN - ↩︎A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.
  24. [24]Wild Food Plants of Indiana. — McPherson. A. and S. · Indiana University Press · 1977 · ISBN 0-253-28925-4 ↩︎A nice pocket guide to this region of America.
  25. [25]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  26. [26]Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada — Lauriault. J. · Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. · 1989 · ISBN 0889025649 ↩︎Very good on identification for non-experts, the book also has a lot of information on plant uses.
  27. [27]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  28. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎