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.
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Nutmeg hickory branches are angled upward. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| For the purposes of observation and appetite, all 21 nuts were cracked open. The finest 12 specimens are photographed above. |
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| The shells are impossibly thick, explaining how the nuts could have been gnawed on and abandoned unopened. |
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| Nothing edible was found inside any of the nuts. |
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| 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. |
