Carya aquatica
water hickory, bitter pecan
Family
Juglandaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate, sessile
Leaf Type
compound, odd-pinnate
Growth Form
tree
Flower Color
inconspicuous
Flower Month
March - October
Height (meters)
30.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Wetland Class
OBL
Field Characters
A large tree with shaggy, platy bark, pinnately compound leaf with sickle-shaped lanceolate leaflets and flattened nuts with bitter meat. Leaflets 7-15 and falcate. No hairs or sparse white hairs where veins meet. Buds less than 3/4”.
Habitat
Swamps that are periodically inundated, flood plains, river banks.
Plant Uses
Wood is used for fencing, gates, and fuel. About four-fifths of all hickory wood goes into the manufacture of tool handles, for which no other wood is as well suited. It is also used in agricultural implements, athletic goods such as bats, and interior parts of furniture.