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Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra
Family - Juglandaceae - Walnut
The Pignut Hickory has golden yellow leaves in the fall, accompanied by small, globe shaped nuts.
The leaf is compound, which means several smaller leaflets make up a full leaf. There will be either
five or seven leaflets per leaf.
The Pignut Hickory usually occupies the higher, dryer hills in the forest. It is a fairly slow
grower and will usually be found growing with White, Red, Black, or Post Oak. The nut is valuable
food for wildlife, including all squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons. Whitetail Deer also utilize the
nuts as a food source.
The Pignut Hickory is found in every state east of the Mississippi River, except for the extreme
northeastern states of Maine and Vermont. West of the Mississippi it can be found in Missouri,
Arkansas, and eastern Texas.
The wood of the Pignut Hickory, light brown to dark brown, is hard and very dense. It makes excellent
firewood and is also used as lumber for many purposes. The trees can grow to over one hundred
thirty feet tall
The golden fall leaves of the Pignut Hickory brighten the high slopes of the woodlands in the Eastern
United States. Its nuts nourish wildlife and its wood furnishes firewood and furniture.
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