| Hickory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hickory atMorton Arboretum Accession 29-U-10 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fagales |
| Family: | Juglandaceae |
| Subfamily: | Juglandoideae |
| Tribe: | Juglandeae |
| Subtribe: | Caryinae |
| Genus: | Carya Nutt. |
| Type species | |
| Carya tomentosa (Poir.) Nutt.[2] | |
Hickory is a common name fortrees composing thegenusCarya, which includes 19 species accepted byPlants of the World Online.[3]
Seven species are native to southeast Asia inChina,Indochina, and northeasternIndia (Assam), and twelve are native toNorth America. A number of hickory species are used for their edible nuts or for their wood.
The name "hickory" derives from aNative American word in anAlgonquian language (perhapsPowhatan). It is a shortening ofpockerchicory,pocohicora, or a similar word, which may be the name for the hickory tree's nut, or may be amilky drink made from such nuts.[4] The genus nameCarya isAncient Greek:κάρυον,káryon, meaning "nut".
Hickories aretemperate tosubtropical forest trees withpinnatelycompound leaves and largenuts. Most aredeciduous, but one species (C. sinensis, syn.Annamocarya sinensis) in southeast Asia isevergreen.[5]
Hickoryflowers are small, yellow-greencatkins produced in spring. They arewind-pollinated andself-incompatible. Thefruit is a globose or oval nut, 2–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 1.5–3 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄4 in) diameter, enclosed in a four-valvedhusk, which splits open at maturity. The nut shell is thick and bony in most species, but thin in a few, notably the pecan (C. illinoinensis); it is divided into two halves, which split apart when the seedgerminates.
Some fruit are borderline and difficult to categorize. Hickory (Carya) nuts and walnut (Juglans) nuts, both in the familyJuglandaceae, grow within an outer husk; these fruit are sometimes considered to bedrupes or drupaceous nuts, rather than true botanical nuts. "Tryma" is a specialized term for such nut-like drupes.[6][7] TheAngiosperm Phylogeny Group, however, considers the fruit to be a nut.[8]
The oldest fossils attributed toCarya areCretaceous pollen grains fromMexico andNew Mexico. Fossil and molecular data suggest the genusCarya may have diversified during theMiocene.[9] ModernCarya first appear inOligocene strata 34 million years ago. Recent discoveries ofCarya fruit fossils further support the hypothesis that the genus has long been a member of Eastern North American landscapes, however its range has contracted and Carya is no longer extant west of theRocky Mountains.[10][11]
Fossils of earlyhickory nuts show simpler, thinner shells than modern species with the exception ofpecans, suggesting that the trees gradually developed defenses torodent seed predation.[citation needed] During this time, the genus had a distribution across the Northern Hemisphere, but thePleistocene Ice Age beginning 2 million years ago obliterated it from Europe.[12] In Anatolia, the genus appears to have disappeared only in the earlyHolocene, probably related to human disturbance.[13] The distribution ofCarya in North America also contracted and it completely disappeared from the continent west of theRocky Mountains. It is likely that the genus originated in North America, and later spread to Europe and Asia.[9]
The genusCarya (not to be confused withCareya in the Lecythidaceae) is in the walnut family,Juglandaceae. In theAPG system, this family is included in the orderFagales. Several species are known to hybridize, with around nine accepted, named hybrids.[3][14]
Carya sect.Sinocarya
C. sinensis has sometimes been split out in a separate genus asAnnamocarya sinensis,[5] but not byPlants of the World Online,[3] as genetic data support it being embedded within the other AsianCarya.[9]
Carya sect.Carya – typical hickories
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Carya sect.Apocarya – pecans
Seven species are native to southeast Asia inChina,Indochina, and northeasternIndia (Assam), and twelve are native to North America, of which eleven occur in the United States, four inMexico (of which one,C. palmeri,endemic there), and five extending into southernCanada.[3][16][17]
Hickory is used as a food plant by thelarvae of someLepidoptera species. These include:
The hickory leaf stem gall phylloxera (Phylloxera caryaecaulis) also uses the hickory tree as a food source. Phylloxeridae are related toaphids and have a similarly complex life cycle. Eggs hatch in early spring and thegalls quickly form around the developing insects.Phylloxera galls may damage weakened or stressed hickories, but are generally harmless. Deformed leaves and twigs can rain down from the tree in the spring assquirrels break off infected tissue and eat the galls, possibly for the protein content or because the galls are fleshy and tasty to the squirrels. The pecan gall curculio (Conotrachelus elegans) is a true weevil species also found feeding on galls of the hickory leaf stem gall phylloxera.
Thebanded hickory borer (Knulliana cincta) is also found on hickories.
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2,749 kJ (657 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18.25 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 6.4 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
64.37 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturated | 7.038 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monounsaturated | 32.611 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Polyunsaturated | 21.886 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12.72 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 2.65 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[18] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dried hickory nuts are 3% water, 18%carbohydrates, 13%protein, and 64%fats. In a100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference amount, dried hickory nuts supply 2,749 kilojoules (657 kilocalories) offood energy, and are a rich source (20% or more of theDaily Value, DV) of severalB vitamins anddietary minerals, especiallymanganese at 220% DV.
An extract from shagbark hickorybark is used in an edible syrup similar tomaple syrup, with a slightly bitter, smoky taste. TheCherokee people would produce a green dye from hickory bark, which they used to dye cloth.[20][21] When this bark was mixed with maple bark, it produced a yellow dye pigment. The ashes of burnt hickory wood were traditionally used to produce a strong lye (potash) fit forsoapmaking.[22]
The nuts of some species are palatable, while others are bitter and only suitable for animal feed. Hickory nuts were a significant food source forindigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands of North America since themiddle Archaic period. They were used by the Cherokee inKanuchi soup, but more often edible oil would be extracted through crushing the nuts and then either straining or boiling the remains.[23] Shagbark and shellbark hickory, along withpecan, are regarded by some as the finest nut trees. Pecans are the most important nut tree native to North America.[16]
When cultivated for theirnuts, clonal (grafted) trees of the samecultivar cannot pollinate each other because of their self-incompatibility. Two or more cultivars must be planted together for successfulpollination. Seedlings (grown from hickory nuts) will usually have sufficient genetic variation.
Hickorywood is hard, stiff, dense and shock resistant. There are woods stronger than hickory and woods that are harder, but the combination of strength, toughness, hardness, and stiffness found in hickory wood is not found in any other commercial wood.[24] Hickory is therefore used in a number of items requiring these properties, such astool handles,bows,wheel spokes,walking sticks,drumsticks andwood flooring.Baseball bats were formerly made of hickory, but are now more commonly made ofash; however, it is replacing ash as the wood of choice for Scottishshinty sticks. Traditionallacrosse sticks are made out of hickory, however since the 1970s lacrosse sticks have switched toplastic heads onmetal shafts.[25] Hickory was also extensively used for the construction of early aircraft.
Due to its grain structure, hickory is more susceptible to moisture absorption than other species of wood, and is therefore more prone to shrinkage, warping or swelling with changes in humidity.[26]
Hickory is also highly prized forwood-burning stoves andchimineas, as its density and high energy content make it an efficient fuel.[27] Hickory wood is also a preferred type forsmokingcured meats. In theSouthern United States, hickory is popular for cookingbarbecue, as hickory grows abundantly in the region and adds flavor to the meat.
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