Genus Hicoria, Raf., Carya, Nutt. (Hickory)
Leaves - compound (odd-feathered, leaflets, seven to nine); alternate; edge slightly and rather roundly toothed. Outline - of leaflets, mostly long oval, the lower pairs becoming smaller and more egg-shaped. Apex - long-pointed. Base - of the end leaflet, wedge-shape; of the others, more or less blunted. Leaf/Stem - rough throughout. Buds - large and round and covered with downy, yellowish-brown scales, or, in winter, with hard and grayish-white scales. Leaflet/Stem - lacking (or scarcely noticeable), except the short, roughish stem of the end leaflet. Leaflets - two to seven inches long, rough beneath, especially on the ribs; fragrant when crushed. Bark - rough, becoming cracked across, but not scaly. Fruit - rounded, slightly egg-shaped or oval, one and one half to two inches or more in length. The husk is about one fourth of an inch thick and splits nearly to the base when ripe. Nut - slightly six-angled, light brown, with a very thick and hard shell. Kernel - is sweet, but small. October. Found - common in dry woods, especially southward and westward. It grows in Southern Canada and I all the Atlantic States. General Information - All the Hickories are picturesque trees. Their tendency, even when standing alone, is to grow high, and with heads that, instead of being round, are cylinder-shaped to the very top, with only enough breaks and irregularities to add to the effect. This tendency is more marked in the Hickories than in any other of the leaf-shedding trees of North America. They are worthy of the name sometimes given them of ‘the artist’s tree.” Hicoria, from a Greek word meaning round, in allusion to the shape of the nut.
Keywordsleaf, trees of northeast America, trees of northeast United States, leaves alternate, tree with compound leaves, feather-shaped leaves, edge toothed leaves
Newhall, Charles S. The Trees of North-Eastern America (New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1900) 209