Carya glabra
Pignut Hickory
Botanical name: Carya glabra All Common Names: pignut hickory Family (English): Walnut Family (Botanic): Juglandaceae Planting Site: Residential and parks, City parkway, Wide median Tree or Plant Type: Tree Foliage: Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves) Native Locale: Chicago area, Illinois, North America Landscape Uses: Parkway/street, Shade tree, Specimen Size Range: Large tree (more than 40 feet) Mature Height: 50-60 feet Mature Width: 25-35 feet Light Exposure: Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun/shade (4-6 hrs light daily), Full shade (4 hrs or less of light daily) Hardiness Zones: Zone 4, Zone 5 (Chicago), Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9
BUILD/BEAUTY
For build qualities, pignut hickory is one of the strongest native trees to the united states. The ability to be adverse to hard shocks make this wood ideal for ladder rungs, wagon wheels, or anything that will have high impact throughout its useful lifetime. The wood is not very workable due to its hardness. It is harder than white pine and hard maple. its uses also include hardwood flooring, as it soaks up laminates well. This wood doesn’t necessarily have structural capabilities but it rates high at 9 out of 10 for build.
For beauty, this tree is definitely not your average deciduous tree.The leaves are oblong and have nice fruiting bodies to them, hence the name pignut hickory. The fall color is a lovely yellow and this specimen held on to its leaves pretty longer than the rest of its neighbors, making it stand out well. Here’s the beauty breakdown.
Bark: (1-3) 1
Leaves: (1-4) 3
Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 2
Total: 6
Source:
1. https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/pignut-hickory
2. https://www.wood-database.com/pignut-hickory/
3. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/pignut_hickory.htm
















