The _bark_ is dark gray, hard, closely and deeply furrowed often
apparently cross-furrowed or netted. The winter buds are large, round or
broadly egg-shaped and covered with a downy growth.
The _leaves_ are large, strong-scented and hairy, composed of 7 to 9
obovate to oblong, pointed leaflets which turn a beautiful yellow in the
fall.
The _flowers_, like those of all other hickories, are of two kinds on
the same tree; the staminate in three-branched catkins, the pistillate
in clusters of 2 to 5. The _fruit_ is oval, nearly round or slightly
pear-shaped with a very thick, strong-scented husk which splits nearly
to the base when ripe. The nut is of various forms, but sometimes 4 to 6
ridged, light brown, and has a very thick shell and small, sweet kernel.
The _wood_ is heavy, hard, tough and strong; it is white excepting the
comparatively small, dark-brown heart, hence the name white hickory. It
is used for vehicle parts and handles. It furnishes the best of fuel.
This and other hickories are very desirable both for forest and shade
trees.
In the southern part of Illinois, the small fruited or sweet pignut,
_Carya ovalis_ Sargent, occurs on rich hillsides. The leaves have 7
leaflets on reddish-brown twigs, with small yellowish winter buds. The
nut is an inch long, enclosed in a very thin hairy husk, the shell is
thin and the kernel sweet.
+PIGNUT HICKORY+ _Carya glabra_ Sweet
THE pignut hickory is rare in the northern part of Illinois but occurs
plentifully in the rest of the State, growing to a medium sized tree on
rich uplands. It has a tapering trunk and a narrow oval head with
drooping branches.
[Illustration: PIGNUT HICKORY