Smoothbark Hickory

The Carya Glabra is commonly known as Broom Hickory, Coast Pignut Hickory, False Shagbark, Pignut, Pignut Hickory, Red Hickory, Smoothbark Hickory, Swamp Hickory, as well as Sweet Pignut Hickory

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Growing Regions

Pignut hickory grows from eastern Maine westward to southern Michigan, Illinois, and southeastern Iowa [17]. It extends southward to eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and eastward to central Florida [17,54]. It is common but not abundant throughout much of eastern North America [51]. Pignut hickory reaches greatest abundance in the Ohio River Basin and is the most common hickory of the Appalachian Mountains [51]. The varieties glabra and megacarpa occur sympatrically throughout most of eastern North America south to Louisiana; the variety hirsuta occurs throughout much of the Southeast [32,55].

     

General Information

The currently accepted scientific name of pignut hickory is Carya glabra (P.Mill.) Sweet. It is a member of the walnut family Juglandaceae. Three varieties are commonly recognized [25]: Carya glabra var. glabra Carya glabra var. hirsuta (Ashe) Ashe Carya glabra var. megacarpa (Sarg.) Sarg. The variety hirsuta, or alternately a fourth variety identified as Carya glabra var. odorata (Marsh.) Little, is frequently considered synonymous C. ovalis, red hickory [6,32,51]. The taxonomic relationship between C. glabra and C. ovalis is particularly difficult [32], and many taxonomists prefer to treat these sympatric taxa as a complex [51]. A few authorities delineate red hickory as a separate species, C. ovalis (Wang.) Sarg. [10]. Principal differences are in the morphology of husks or fruit; distinctions between the two entities become apparent only during the fall [51,55]. Many intermediates have been reported; some authorities treat C. ovalis as an interspecific hybrid between C. glabra and C. ovata [32,51]. C. leiodermis Sarg., swamp hickory, is now placed in synonymy with C. glabra [51]. Pignut hickory hybridizes with butternut hickory (C. cordiformis) [54]. Demaree hickory, C. X demareei Palmer, is a hybrid product of pignut hickory and butternut hickory.

Pignut hickory codominates certain upland hardwood forests of eastern
North America.  Common codominants include white oak (Quercus alba) and
northern red oak (Q. rubra).  Pignut hickory is included as a dominant
or indicator in the following community type classifications (cts):

Area              Classification                Authority

sw OH             forest cts                    Braun 1936
TN                general veg. cts              Quarterman and others 1972

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