Bitternut Hickory

LEAVES: Alternate, compound, 6″-10″ long, divided into 7-11 lance-shaped leaflets, bright green and smooth above, paler and somewhat downy beneath, margins finely to coarsely toothed.

TWIGS: Slender smooth, glossy, orange-brown to grayish with numerous pale lenticels. Buds covered by 4 sulphur-yellow, gland-dotted outer scales. End buds flattened, ¾” long.

FRUIT: Nearly round, ¾”-1½” in diameter with a thin, yellowish gland-dotted husk, which splits into 4 sections almost to the middle when ripe. The ridgeless reddish brown to gray brown nut has a thin shell protecting a bitter kernel.

BARK: The tight gray bark remains rather smooth for many years eventually developing shallow furrows and low, narrow interlacing ridges.

GENERAL: Bitternut hickory normally attains heights of 60′- 70′ when growing on moist, fertile bottomland soils but it can also be found on well-drained uplands throughout the state. The wood of this species is somewhat more brittle than other hickories and the nuts are too bitter to eat. Bitternut hickory is reported to be the best wood for smoking ham and bacon, giving a rich “hickory smoked” flavor.