Several species of the Hickory Nut have been held in high esteem since the settlement of America by the white men.  But little progress has been made in their domestication and improvement, except for the pecan which is a hybrid form.  

There are ten or more species of the hickory nut.   Doubtless no other nut has a kernel with the aromatic properties of the hickory.  The cooking flavor is also exceptional.  In flavor and quality the SHAGBARK HICKORY is held in the highest esteem as the choicest of native hickories.   The pecan and SHELLBARK HICKORY are a close second.

Shagbark Hickory 

  Shagbark hickory is one of the most abundant hickories in the eastern and central states.   it is the fastest growing of the hickories, and probably the most distinctive in appearance because of the long, loose plates of bark.    Common names include "scalybark", "shellbark", "upland", and "shagbark".  It grows in humid climates and is found on upland slopes and lowlands, near streams and springs.

Native trees begin bearing in about ten years, much later that when cultivated.   They will produce nuts for over 300 years.  The trees reach a height of 140 feet so they are a towering tree.

Some of the popular varieties of the Shagbark hickory are:  Dover, Eliot, Hale, Papershell, Jackson, Kentucky, Kirkland, Leaming, Meridian, Milford, Rice, Swain, Vest, and Woodbourne.

There is a limited commercial market.  The nuts are moderate in size and thin shelled.  Both humans and wildlife eat them.  Red squirrels, eastern grey squirrels, raccoons, and eastern chipmunks all love the nuts.  It takes 100 seeds to make a pound of shelled nuts.

The fruit ripens in September and October..   Because the trees are very tall, we often wait until near Christmas for the nuts to fall.   Because the nuts often fall out of the shells while on the trees, there is little hulling by hand.

Shellbark Hickory 

  Shellbark Hickory, whose bark is thicker and hangs on longer. is often confused with the Shagbark Hickory.  The nuts are larger, abundant, and have a thick shell.  The kernels are sweet, but difficult to crack out in large pieces.  The most common cultivars are:  Lefevre, Rieke, and Weiker.   

Mocknut Hickory  The Mocknut Hickory has the largest tree and produces the largest nuts with the thickest shells.   Though the quality of the meats is excellent, they are seldom marketed due to the difficult extraction and low cracking percentage.  Many nuts are either void, poorly filled during growing, or have other faults.  Yield is low.

Pignut Hickory   Commonly called the oval pignut hickory, red hickory, redheart hickory, and sweet pignut, this nut falls from a lower 90 foot tall tree and is the most commonly found hickory in the Appalachian forest.   The seeds are very light and it takes over 200 to make a pound.  Although the kernels are sweet, they are too small and tedious to hull and shell by humans so they often are eaten by animals.    The hulls do not normally split from the nut, there fore dehulling is a separate operation not usually needed in other hickory varieties.  The trees, however, are extremely prolific producers and large quantities of the nut can be raked up and cracked.

Bitternut Hickory   Sometimes called the "swamp hickory pignut", this is the only hickory found in the northeastern United States.  It is probably the most abundant but it takes over 30 years for the tree to produce nuts.  They will produce until the tree is 175 years old.   Every three to five years there is a bumper crop called a "heavy drop".

Hican   Hybrid species of the hickory nuts are constantly being tried, and the most common name for a hybrid hickory nut is the HICAN.