Carya texana

Carya texana (called black hickory for its dark colored bark, or Texas hickory) is a North American tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae. It is endemic to the United States, found primarily in the southern Great Plains and the Lower Mississippi Valley.^[2][3] It is an endangered species in Indiana, where it occurs in the southwest corner of the state.^[2]

Black hickory
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Juglandaceae
Genus:	Carya
Section:	Carya sect. Carya
Species:	C. texana
Binomial name
Carya texana Buckley (1861)
Natural range of Carya texana
Synonyms[1]
List Carya arkansana Sarg. Carya buckleyi Durand Carya glabra var. villosa (Sarg.) B.L.Rob. Carya texana var. arkansana (Sarg.) Little Carya texana f. glabra (E.J.Palmer & Steyerm.) Steyerm. Carya texana var. villosa (Sarg.) Little Carya villosa (Sarg.) C.K.Schneid. Hicoria arkansana (Sarg.) Ashe Hicoria glabra var. villosa Sarg. Hicoria pallida var. arkansana (Sarg.) Ashe Hicoria villosa (Sarg.) Ashe Hicorius arkansana Ashe Hicorius buckleyi Ashe

Description

Black hickory grows up to 41 m (135 ft) tall. It has dark gray to black bark with a tight "diamond" patterning. The leaves usually have a dense coating of scales, imparting a rusty brown color. They are pinnately compound usually with seven leaflets, but sometimes five or nine. The fruits (nuts) are bronze to reddish brown and the seeds can be sweet and edible,^[4][5] but are sometimes bitter.^[6]

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  Black hickory nuts
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  Bark on a young branch
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  Illustration from Britton and Brown (1913)^[7]

Genetics

Black hickory is a 64-chromosome species that readily hybridizes with tetraploid C. tomentosa. Hybrids with 32 chromosomes may also occur.