Bitternut Hickory
(Carya cordiformis)

Other common names: Swamp Hickory
French names: Caryer cordiforme
Family: Walnut Family (Juglandaceae)
Distinctive features: Tree
Similar species:
  •   Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
  •   Shellbark Hickory (Carya laciniosa)
  •   Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra)
Leaves: Alternate;  Compound/Divided;  Entire;  Compound, alternate
Habitat: Forests
Books: Trees in Canada: 210   
Native/Non-native: Native
Status: Common
Notes: Bitternut Hickory is probably one of the easiest hickories to identify as long as you can see the buds: they are a bright sulfur colour! Unfortunately, as the name implies, the nuts are not edible.
  

Trees and Shrubs       Hickories    Ashes

Bitternut Hickory bud in winter.

Another pic of a bud. Note the bright sulfur colour. This is very distinctive. No other tree has buds like this.

Bitternut Hickory bud opening in the spring.

Bitternut Hickory bark is fairly distinctive. It is usually very shallowly ridged, with whitish lines in the grooves. It's actually usually quite smooth to the touch.

The nuts of Bitternut Hickory. It's unfortunate, given that this is a fairly easy tree to identify, that the nuts are inedible (as the name of the tree implies)!

The leaf of Bitternut Hickory is a compound leaf, as with all hickories.

Another pic of its leaves.
  

Trees and Shrubs       Hickories    Ashes

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