The _bark_ is close, ridged and grayish, but occasionally rough and
flaky. The twigs are thin, smooth and glossy brown.
The _leaves_ are smooth, 8 to 12 inches long and composed of 5 to 7
leaflets. The individual leaflets are rather small and narrow.
The _winter buds_ are 1/2 inch long, egg-shaped, polished, and light
brown.
The _fruit_ is pear-shaped or rounded, usually with a neck at the base,
very thin husks splitting only half way to the base or not at all. The
nut is smooth, light brown in color, rather thick-shelled, and has a
somewhat astringent edible kernel.
The _wood_ is heavy, hard, strong, tough and flexible. Its uses are the
same as those of the other hickories.
Buckley's hickory, _Carya buckleyi_ Durand, occurs on sandy uplands in
the southwest. It is a small tree with spreading, contorted branches.
The fruit is contained in a hairy husk, the nut is angular, marked
with pale veins and has a sweet kernel.
+BLUE BEECH+ _Carpinus caroliniana_ Walt.
THE blue beech, or American hornbeam, belongs to the birch family rather
than to the beeches. It is a small slow-growing bushy tree, 20 to 30
feet tall with a diameter 4 to 8 inches. It is found along streams and
in low ground through the State.
[Illustration: BLUE BEECH