Carya texana
Species of tree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carya texana (called black hickory for its dark colored bark, or Texas hickory) 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 species in Indiana, where it occurs in the southwest corner of the state.[2]
| 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) | |
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| Natural range of Carya texana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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List
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Description
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]
Black hickory nuts
Bark on a young branch
Illustration from Britton and Brown (1913)[7]
Genetics
Black hickory is a 64-chromosome species that readily hybridizes with tetraploid C. tomentosa. Hybrids with 32 chromosomes may also occur.