Part 26

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common, especially on the hillsides and ridges east of the Alleghanies. Less frequent and scattered in the central and western counties.

=Habitat=.—Prefers rich, well-drained soils of open wooded hillsides.

=Notes=.—This tree has very thick sapwood which is the most valuable part of hickory wood. It is unsurpassed for handle material and other uses where strength and elasticity are desired. The nut kernels are of good quality but are small and hard to get. The pubescent leaf petioles and the thick husks and thick-walled nuts form easy marks for distinguishing this species from the common shell-bark. Big Bud Hickory and White Heart Hickory are other names for this tree.

PIGNUT HICKORY

=Carya glabra=, (Mill.) Spach.

=Form=.—Height 50-80 feet, diameter, 2-3½ feet; trunk usually straight, clean and long; crown rounded or narrowly oblong.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, compound, 8-12 inches long; leaflets usually 5-7, oblong to obovate-lanceolate, long taper-pointed, sharply serrate, dark yellow-green and glabrous above, paler beneath, fragrant when crushed.

=Flowers=.—Similar to those of other hickories.

=Fruit=.—Variable in shape, pear-shaped to ovoid, 1-2 inches long; husk thin, splitting half way or more to the base; nut smooth or obscurely angled, thick-walled and enclosing a sweet or slightly bitter kernel.

=Bark=.—Dark gray, roughened by many flat-topped ridges, the outside layers of which sometimes become detached at one end, giving the trunk a somewhat shaggy appearance.

=Wood=.—As in other species of hickory before described.

=Range=.—Maine, Ontario and Minnesota to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Common in every county, less frequently found at high elevations.

=Habitat=.—Thrives on almost any rich, well-drained soil of ridges and hillsides.

=Notes=.—The abundance of this species in nearly every section of the State makes it one of the most useful hickories, especially for the farmer. Its growth in farm woodlands, as in other places, should be encouraged.

BITTERNUT HICKORY

=Carya cordiformis=, (Wang.) K. Koch.

=Form=.—Height 60-75 feet, diameter 1-2½ feet; trunk long and free from limbs; crown rounded, broadest near the top.

=Leaves=.—Alternate, compound, 6-10 inches long; leaflets 7-11, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, taper-pointed, serrate, yellow-green above, paler beneath.

=Flowers=.—May, monoecious; similar to those of the other hickories.

=Fruit=.—Spherical to obovate; about 1 inch long, coated with a yellow scurfy pubescence; husk thin, splitting half way to the base, sutures winged at the top; nut nearly smooth with a small bitter kernel.

=Bark=.—Not so rough as in other species, but with many narrow connecting ridges.

=Wood=.—Similar to that of other hickories but not so strong and of less fuel value.

=Range=.—Southern Canada and Minnesota to Nebraska, Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Found in scattered growth in nearly all parts of the State.

=Habitat=.—Prefers low ground along streams, but is often seen on higher ground. The name, Swamp Hickory, is not inappropriate.

=Notes=.—Of less value than our other hickories, but of sufficient worth to warrant its propagation in suitable places. This tree can be distinguished by its more numerous leaflets and by its small bitter-kerneled nuts.

HOP HORNBEAM