Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carya cordiformis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Bitternut Hickory at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carya cordiformis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Carya cordiformis
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 053-02-003:
Carya cordiformis FAMILY Juglandaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria cordiformis var. cordiformis
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria cordiformis var. latifolia
COMMON NAME:
Bitternut Hickory
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Ron Lance jkm110219_651
Note variation in husk thickness & dehiscence, and nut shape, size & sweetness.
)
Michigan Trees, a Project Gutenberg eBook mit_illus_111
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_212
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_caco15_003_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_hico5_001_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_cordiformis_19
January
Twigs slender, terminal bud slightly flattened, elongated (1/2" long+), per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm090221_048
February Richland County SC
Congaree National Park
Bark grayish to brown, tight and smooth to shallowly furrowed, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_cordiformis_1_bark
March Floyd County GA
Lock & Dam Park
Bark gray to brown, shallowly furrowed, tight, not becoming scaly or shaggy, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_cordiformis_2
March
)
JK Marlow jkm140524_179
May Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow s060506_m
May Oconee County SC
Clemson Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_8985
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm190604_8987
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_cordiformis_12
June
Fruit beaked, narrowly winged along husk sutures, splitting part way, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_cordiformis_8
June
Leaves have 7-11 lance-shaped to obovate leaflets w sharply toothed margins, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm150808_681
August McDowell County? NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm150808_681b
August McDowell County? NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Bud scales valvate, bright orange-yellow, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm181028_5383
October McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
Lower leaf surfaces pubescent, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_cordiformis_fruit_2
November
Husks 1/16" thick or less, with yellowish hairs on surface, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_cordiformis_3_bark
December Floyd County GA
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carya cordiformis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carya cordiformis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Carya cordiformis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 053-02-003:
Carya cordiformis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria cordiformis var. cordiformis
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria cordiformis var. latifolia
270
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: forests and woodlands, especially in rich, moist alluvial or slope forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Odd-pinnately compound: 7-11 leaflets
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Staminate calyx 2-3 lobed
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
Staminate flowers in elongate catkins
FRUIT:
Fall
Nut
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p043
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p280
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p425
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p210
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p066
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p213
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p067
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p12
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p086
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
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