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.