Bitter Hickory

Carya cordiformis (KAIR-ee-ah kord-ih-FOR-miss)

Family: Juglandaceae Native Canopy (>40 ft)

Canopy (>40 ft)Native

Bitternut hickory is a tall, slender, cylindrical deciduous tree with a broad pyramid-shaped crown in the walnut family (Juglandaceae). It is native to North Carolina and usually found on moist, rich soils in relatively open areas where the tree can find sun. The bitternut hickory does not tolerate shade but will tolerate a variety of soil types. The tree has a strong tap-root, making it difficult to move, and needs a lot of space as it matures; all considerations for planting in a permanent position. When surrounded by other trees, the trunk is long and straight and the crown is short; in open areas, the trunk is less long and the crown larger and ovoid in shape. At all seasons, the bitternut hickory can be identified from all other native trees by its long, scaly, yellow buds. On bottomlands, it develops into a tree of 50 to 70 feet or more with a straight trunk, 1 to 2 1/2 feet in diameter. The wood is hard, strong and heavy, with a reddish-brown heartwood. This tree is late coming into leaf and loses its leaves early in the autumn, but while the leaves are present, it casts an open shade allowing lawn or other plants to grow beneath it. Individual trees have been known to live up to 200 years, however, they do not produce nuts until at least 30 years old. Fall color is yellow and provides 3 seasons of interest. Grow this tree for shade and for wildlife in the yard or naturalized areas. Insects, Diseaes, and Other Plant Problems: Bark beetle, pecan weevil, borers and twig girdler are sometimes problems. White heart rot, anthracnose, leaf blotch, powdery mildew, leaf spot, catkin blight and crown gall are occasional diseases. This tree is shade intolerant. Hickory VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “ Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping ” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 65 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 1 - Canopy (>40 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)

See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Carya pallida Juglans cinerea

Fills a similar niche Carya glabra Carya tomentosa Liriodendron tulipifera

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions

Plant type: Native Plant; Perennial; Tree
Life cycle: Woody
USDA zones: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture: Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH: Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage: Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region: Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size: Height: 50 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in. | Width: 25 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate: Rapid
Maintenance: Low
Canopy layer: 1 - Canopy (>40 ft)

Form & Appearance

Habit / form: Ascending; Irregular; Oval; Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture: Coarse
Foliage: Deciduous
Leaf color: Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type: Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement: Alternate
Leaf shape: Lanceolate
Leaf margin: Serrate
Leaf value: Showy
Leaf size: > 6 inches long
Hairs present: Yes
Leaf detail: Leaves are 6 to 10 inches long with 5 to 9 long, oval, toothed leaflets that are dark yellow-green above and lighter below. There is a slight pubescence on the underside veins.
Fall color: Gold/Yellow
Flower color: Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form: Catkin; Insignificant; Spike
Flower size: < 1 inch
Flower detail: Monoecious with both male and female flowers produced on the same tree. The male flowers are arranged in greenish yellow catkins that are 3 to 5 inches long in clusters of 3, drooping downward from either the tips of the previous year's twigs or at the base of the current year's twigs. Each tiny male flower has a 3-lobed calyx and several stamens. The female flowers are small short spikes at the tips of the current year's twigs. Each female flower is about an 1/8 of an inch, consisting of an ovoid ovary with 4 prominent ridges and a pair of styles. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring for about 1 to 2 weeks.
Bloom time: Spring
Fruit type: Nut
Fruit value: Showy
Fruit size: < 1 inch long
Fruit detail: Nuts do not appear until the tree is about 30 years old. The 4-ribbed nut is about an inch long, roughly spherical, with a thin shell. The meat of the nut is very bitter. The husk is four-winged from the tip to about the middle and is covered with yellowish-green, scruffy hairs. Nuts display in October.
Bark color: Light Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail: The bark on the trunk is granite gray and faintly tinged with yellow. It is less rough that most of the hickories, yet it is broken into narrow, plate-like scales as it ages. The hard bark is initially smooth.
Stem color: Gray/Silver
Stem detail: Branches are gray and smooth, while twigs are gray or light brown. Young non-woody shoots are light green, terete, and glabrous; they have scattered lenticels that are white or pale yellow.

Wildlife & Ecology

Native status: Native
Origin: Eastern Canada to Central & Eastern United States.
Distribution: Northeast Canada west to Nebraska, south to Texas and east to Florida.
Wildlife value: Several species of moth are attracted to the foliage. Larval host for butterflies and Luna moths. This plant supports Hickory Horndevil (Citheronia regalis) larvae which have one brood and appear from May to mid-September. Adult Hickory Horndevil moths do not feed.
Attracts: Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for: butterflies and Luna moths

Food & Medicine

Edible parts: Nuts
Harvest time: Fall
Fruit type: Nut

Edibility

Thin shelled nut, but bitter and astringent.

Uses (ethnobotany)

Said to be somewhat inferior to the other hickories, but is used for the same purposes: tool handles, furniture, interior paneling, and sporting goods. Also used to smoke ham and bacon.

Landscape Use

Landscape location: Woodland
Landscape theme: Butterfly Garden; Native Garden; Nighttime Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature: Shade Tree; Street Tree
Garden tags: #deciduous #Braham Arboretum #NC native #Piedmont Mountains FACU #food source herbage #food source hard mast fruit #larval host plant #mammals #Coastal FAC #food source fall #butterfly friendly #pollinator plant #bird friendly #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #Audubon #nighttime garden #moth caterpillar host #hickory horndevil moth #fall color #landscape plant sleuths course #wildlife friendly

Problems & Resistance

Insect problems: Hickory Spiral Borer; Twig Girdler
Resistant to: Black Walnut
Propagation: Seed
Fire risk: medium flammability

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

📍 Add a planting 📝 Add to wish list