Black hickory nuts
| Black hickory | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Juglandaceae |
| Genus: | Carya |
| Section: | Carya sect. Carya |
| Species: |
C. texana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Carya texana Buckley (1861) | |
| |
| Natural range of Carya texana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
List
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Carya texana, or black hickory, for its dark colored bark, is a North American tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae. It is endemic to the United States, found primarily in the southern Great Plains and the Lower Mississippi Valley.[2][3] It is an endangered speciesinIndiana, where it occurs in the southwest corner of the state.[2]
Black hickory grows up to 41 m (135 ft) tall. It has dark gray to black bark with a tight "diamond" patterning. The leaves usually have a dense coating of scales, imparting a rusty brown color. They are pinnately compound usually with seven leaflets, but sometimes five or nine. The fruits (nuts) are bronze to reddish brown and the seeds can be sweet and edible,[4][5] but are sometimes bitter.[6]
![Illustration from Britton and Brown (1913)[7]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carya_texana_BB-1913.png)
Black hickory is a 64-chromosome species that readily hybridizes with tetraploid C. tomentosa. Hybrids with 32 chromosomes may also occur.
