How does hickory grow?
Hickory trees tolerate most soil types, but insist on good drainage.
The trees produce the most nuts in full sun, but also grow well in light shade.
Falling nuts can damage cars, so keep hickory trees away from driveways and streets.
Hickories are slow-growing trees that take 10 to 15 years to begin producing nuts..
Is bitternut hickory hardwood or softwood?
Bitternut hickory is cut and sold in mixture with the true hickories.
It is the shortest lived of the hickories, living to about 200 years.
The dark brown close-grained hardwood is highly shock resistant which makes it excellent for tools..
What are the characteristics of bitternut hickory?
Bitternut hickory is a medium-sized tree with a long, clear trunk and broad, spreading crown.
Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound, 6–12 inches long, with 7–9 elliptical, toothed leaflets.
Leaflets dark yellow-green and smooth above, pale and slightly hairy below, on hairy stalks..
What can you do with bitternut hickory?
Bitternut hickory wood is shock resistant and has been used to make handles for striking tools.
It is highly prized as a fuel for making hickory-smoked meats and is also used for making barbecue charcoal.
It also makes an excellent fuelwood for cook stoves, furnaces, or fireplaces..
What does a hickory tree produce?
Hickories are members of the walnut family, and the fruit of the shagbark hickory is highly prized by both humans and wildlife.
The fruit is a nut with a hard outer husk that splits open when ripe.
Black bears, foxes, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, and a number of birds enjoy the nuts every fall..
What is bitternut hickory used for?
Timber - Bitternut Hickory is an excellent timber species.
This hardwood is used in the production of wood for furniture, tools, and firewood..
What is bitternut hickory wood good for?
The wood is sometimes used for yokes or tool handles, as it is strong and hard.
As of 2017, this particular tree is one of only three bitternut hickories planted on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota..
What is bitternut used for?
The wood can be used to smoke meat.
Native Americans used the wood for making bows.
Because bitternut hickory wood is shockproof and durable, it's used for tool handles, furniture, paneling, dowels, and ladders.
Like other hickories, the wood is used for smoking meat..
- Bitternut hickory
The husk is thin and dark, and the fruit is quite bitter.
While not poisonous, they are best left for the squirrels and other wildlife, given their unpleasant taste. - Common name: Bitternut Hickory
In youth, Bitternut is shade-tolerant but becomes intolerant with age.
Should be grown in half-day sun.
Yellow fall color.
This is the fastest growing hickory we carry at 16-24 inches per year. - Fruit.
The fruits of Bitternut Hickory are composed of a bitter innermost kernel, surrounded by a hard bony shell with four ribs, surrounded by a thin outer husk that splits into four quarters when ripe.
The fruits are distinct in that they have four easily visible ribs on the outer portion of the husk.
