Tree of the Week: Nutmeg Hickory (Carya myristiciformis)

The nutmeg hickory (Carya myristiciformis) was previously featured on this blog for its shadiness. You can read more about its history and view its summer-time glory here. This time of year, our nutmeg hickory is of special interest for its nuttiness.

The nutmeg hickory is pictured center. It was purchased from Woodlanders Nursery (Aiken, SC) and planted in 1990. It's growing at the northern edge of the arboretum, between Hamilton Hall and the Student Union Building. In this photo, we see the ground sloping downwards toward the drainage channel, which lately has been moving no small quantities of water.

From this angle, we can see the ground sloping upwards toward Hamilton Hall. The nutmeg hickory grows mid-slope at the corner of a concrete drive.

At the end of December the nutmeg hickory is leafless and fruitless. There isn't anything blocking the view of its straight trunk and upwardly reaching branches. For a comparison, study the Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) pictured left. The Shumard's branches stretch out horizontally.

Nutmeg hickory branches are angled upward.

After a brief kicking-about around the tree, 21 fruits were collected from the leaf-litter. Let's talk about this fruit in detail. The binomial name of the nutmeg hickory, Carya myristiciformis, means something close to "nutmeg-shaped hickory." If you compare a nutmeg to one of these hickory fruits, you will see why. They are light-brown in color with darker stripes.

Nutmeg hickory fruits are round, but not spherical. They are elongated with pointed tips. These nuts measure more than an inch in length. They measure 7/8 inches in width.

The darker colored nuts appear to have been gnawed on. Unfortunately for you and I (and the local population of arboreal rodents), they do not resemble a nutmeg in taste, fragrance, or value. The resemblance is in shape only.

For the purposes of observation and appetite, all 21 nuts were cracked open. The finest 12 specimens are photographed above.

The shells are impossibly thick, explaining how the nuts could have been gnawed on and abandoned unopened.

Nothing edible was found inside any of the nuts.

Foraging for an afternoon snack was a bust. However, a new skill was learned: how to crack a hard nut. This little sledge hammer did the trick. Each nut required approximately 3 light taps.

Unripe Hickory Nuts in August (Carya spp.)

Three unripe hickory nuts are pictured below. The largest fruit, pictured left, is from the Black Hickory (Carya texana). It is pumpkin-shaped and measures approximately 2 inches in length. The fruit of the Nutmeg Hickory (Carya myristiciformis) is pictured center. It is egg-shaped, measuring less than 2 inches in length. The Bitter Pecan (Carya aquatica) nut is pictured on the right. It might appear sphere-shaped, but it is noticeably flattened (oblate) when held in hand. The bitter pecan nut measures approximately 1.5 inches in length.

Nutmeg Hickory (Carya myristiciformis)

Compared to last year at this time, the nutmeg hickory has fewer fruits.

Fruit with attached compound leaf

Fruit detail

Autumn Update

There is a lot of autumnal color in the arboretum. Oaks, maples, witch-hazels, hickories and cypresses all have pretty leaves, but the leaves are dropping so fast! Soon the cold, wet winter weather will be here to stay.

Looking into the arboretum from the southwest corner of Mickle Hall: the trunk of an on-site-native post oak (Quercus stellata) is in the foreground, pictured on the right.

This beautiful yellow bush is a grouping of witch-hazels (Hamamelis virginiana).

Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica)

Red leaves of the blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica)

The orange leaves of this red maple (Acer rubrum) are quickly falling.

This yellow-leaved tree is a nutmeg hickory (Carya myristiciformis).

Interestingly, our wild crabapple tree (Malus angustifolia) thinks it's a good time to flower, and the flowers are very aromatic.

Tree of the Week: Nutmeg Hickory (Carya myristiciformis)

This week our shade tree is the nutmeg hickory (Carya myristiciformis). The cloudy, rainy weather hasn't given us much opportunity to appreciate the shadiness of this tree, but rest assured: it does good work. The fruits of the tree make it a stand-out specimen for this series. Large nuts, quite similar to pecans, are developing on the branches. Let's keep an eye on them, to make sure the squirrels don't have all the fun.

There is only one nutmeg hickory in the arboretum collection. In 1990, it was purchased from Woodlanders nursery (Aiken, South Carolina) and planted the same year. That makes the tree approximately 30 years old. Its companion, bought and planted at the same time, is a soapberry tree (Sapindus drummondii). A Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii) was added nearby in 1993. All three trees are doing great, on a gradual slope, at the far north side of the arboretum.

Note: All photos below were taken on a cloudy day. We have had more cloudy, rainy weather this week, and more of the same is predicted for next week, with Hurricane Harvey making landfall tonight, on the southern coast of Texas.

This is a shady spot on the north side of the arboretum, with the band shell in the background. Three trees are pictured, all approximately 30 years old. LEFT: Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii); CENTER: Nutmeg hickory (Carya myristiciformis); and, RIGHT: Soapberry tree (Sapindus drummondii). A yaupon holly bush can be seen in the background, occupying the middle space between the hickory and soapberry.

On a cloudy day, the impact of the shade tree isn't as noticeable.

Looking up

The topside of the leaf is a shiny green. This particular leaf has 7 leaflets, but the number of leaflets can range from 5 to 11.

The toothed edges of the leaflets can be seen in this photo. The underside of the leaf is a whitish-green with a hint of yellow.

Branchlet, twig, and fruit

There are a good many nuts on the tree this year, but this is still a young hickory, not yet producing its maximum potential.

The yellow husk conceals the fruit, which is said to be sweet, though difficult to get to.

Bark of tree approximately 30 years of age: we can see vertical strips in the bark, and some splitting, but the trunk doesn't have the shaggy appearance of what is considered an 'old' specimen.

You can see more photos of the arboretum's nutmeg hickory here.

For more information about this species consult the following:
United States Department of Agriculture
Texas A&M University Aggie Horticulture (check out the distribution map)
Stephen F. Austin State University

Carya myristiciformis