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Shellbark Hickory

Carya laciniosa

Also known as: Kingnut Hickory

Bears the largest nuts of any native hickory — sweet, edible kernels in thick husks. Floodplain tree with shaggy peeling bark like shagbark hickory but on wetter sites.

Family

Juglandaceae

Type

tree

Lifespan

perennial

Height

60–80 ft

Spacing

40–60 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade, shade

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

April, May

Bloom colors

yellow, green, brown

Wildlife value

pollinators, mammals, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~235 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

specimen

Native states

AL, AR, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX, WV