Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata):
A Beautiful Bark and no Bite
Jim Lakin MD, Master Gardener
Shagbark Hickory is a striking tree, native to the Upper East coast and Midwest. It can be a bit “goofy-looking” with is rough peeling bark. Yet it is a huge, long-lived, strong specimen that you might consider for your yard – or just appreciate it when you see it. This article tells you more about this special Minnesota native.
We have a mature shagbark hickory just to the right of our garage. He greets me every time I come home. He’s a bit goofy looking, clothed in pealing bark, yet oddly beautiful as the light and shadows play on the trunk.
Shagbark hickory is native to the Upper East coast and Midwest. It is found in southeastern Minnesota, although it will do well throughout zone 4. Carya ovata is also called scaly bark hickory, Carolina hickory, upland hickory and shellbark hickory. These guys can get really big, up to 100 feet, and can live for 350 years. So, plan your planting placement carefully. As it has a long central taproot, it does not transplant easily - another problem for nursery growers.
As the name implies, mature shagbarks have shaggy bark. Young trees however, have a smooth bark. Be patient. It is a deciduous tree, starting to form nuts at about 10 years of age although large amounts aren’t seen until the tree hits age 40. Once it gets in gear, it will continue to produce for as long as 100 years. Unfortunately, it is an erratic producer with generous crops every 3 to 5 years. Thus, although the nuts are tasty, you’ll not see them in commercial production owing to the tree’s erratic crop yields.
Although you might not find hickory nuts at the store, when they do show up, they are a favorite of a number of species. Shagbark hickory feeds squirrels, mice, chipmunks and raccoons. Bears, foxes and a number of bird species including mallards, wood ducks, bobwhites and wild turkeys feed off shagbark nuts. It is the larval food for the Luna moth, walnut sphinx and also the royal walnut moth whose larval stage is called hickory horned devil. The wood is heavy and very strong and durable, great for woodworking if you’re the patient sort.
Carya ovata prefers a humid climate with full sun. It is however shade tolerant although growth is slowed in such conditions. In general, it is a hardy tree with few pests and is tolerant of a wide range of temperature, although it does best in Zone 4 to 8. It is a slow grower so plan on any plantings as future shade trees. It’s worth the wait!
Photo Credit: John B. Wikimedia Commons (1,2), www.forestryimages.org (3)