Mockernut Hickory

LEAVES: Alternate, compound, 8″-12″ long with 7 to 9 leaflets, margins toothed, dark yellowish green above, brownish beneath with golden glandular dots, leaves very fragrant when crushed, the leaf stems finely hairy.

TWIGS: Stout and hairy, reddish brown to brownish gray with numerous pale lenticels and distinct three-lobed leaf scars. Buds large, with 3 to 5 yellowish brown, densely hairy outer scales, end buds ½” to ¾” long.

FRUIT: Nearly round to egg-shaped, 1½”-2″ long, with a thick husk which splits into 4 pieces when ripe. The slightly ridged, thick shelled nut is reddish brown with a sweet kernel. Flowers in catkins, about May when the leaves are half-developed.

BARK: The gray to dark gray bark is tight when young and becomes shallowly fissured as the tree ages.

GENERAL: Mockernut hickory is so named because the nuts are large but with thick shells and very small kernels. Found in moist open woods and slopes mostly in the southern part of the state, it usually reaches 50′-75′ high. A black dye can be extracted from the bark by boiling it in vinegar solution. As with other hickories, the wood is heavy, hard, and strong and used for tool handles and furniture.