Carya Glabra #3

Key Characteristics

• Height & Form: Grows 50 to 80 feet tall (rarely up to 100 feet) with a straight trunk, rounded or narrow oval crown, and a deep taproot. 
• Leaves: Pinnately compound leaves measuring 8 to 12 inches long, typically featuring 5 leaflets (occasionally 7) with a smooth (glabrous) central rachis. They turn golden-yellow in the autumn. 
• Bark: Tight, gray bark that develops subtle scaly ridges as it matures, lacking the shaggy plates seen on some other hickory species. 
• Nuts: Produces pear-shaped or rounded nuts (1 to 2 inches long) enclosed in a thin husk that only partially splits open when ripe. The kernels are usually bitter, though they are an important food source for wildlife like squirrels, chipmunks, bears, and deer. 

Growing Conditions & Care

• Hardiness Zones: Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9.
• Sunlight: Prefers full sun to partial shade.
• Soil: Adapts best to moist, well-drained loams or clays, though it is famously common on drier upland ridges and hillsides.
• Transplanting: Difficult to move or dig up once established due to its aggressive long taproot; starting from a young seedling, tubeling, or container plant is recommended. 

Uses & Wood Quality

• Timber: The wood is heavy, hard, and shock-resistant, historically used for tool handles, sporting goods, furniture, ladders, and heavy framing. 
• Firewood: Burns slowly and hot, making it a high-value fuelwood. 
• Landscape: Best utilized as a large shade tree on spacious properties, parks, or naturalized woodlands rather than tight urban parkways.

*Stock image shown for reference. Actual tree appearance may vary.