A red hickory tree reaches out to passers-by on Midway road near my house. This hickory appears unusual compared to others in the area, due to its short lanceolate leaves. The tree has distinctive characteristics, and it is curious to me that many consider this tree but a variety of the pignut hickory. The red hickory, Carya ovalis, is worthy of examination.
The red hickory is widespread but not common, even in the eastern United States where it is native. It is found in dry, well-drained sandy or limestone soils of upland ridges and slopes, and it does not tolerate shade. The tree casts a dense shade of its own, which dischourages 
competition. Trees are slow growing, to 80 or more feet, and may live 100 to 250 years. The wood is reddish-brown, is very hard, strong, and heavy, and is used for the same purposes as other hickories.
Red hickories typically have a single, straight trunk that continues throughout the height of the tree. The trunk can have a diameter or 2 to 3 feet, and it often splits into 2 or 3 large, upright limbs inside the canopy. As is typical of hickories, the branches ascend in the upper crown, are more or less horizontal in the mid-section, and droop in the lower crown. This gives the tree an oblong or rounded crown. Young trees have gray bark 
that is at first smooth, but then it develops into ridges that may be loose at both ends, and curl or peel. This is also a trait of shagbark and shellbark hickories, but red hickory bark is more tightly held. Mature trees develop tight, intersecting ridges with deep crevices in between.
Leaves on a red hickory tree are pinnately compound, most typically with 7 leaflets on a rachis. 5 to 9 leaflets are less common. The leaflets typically are lanceolate, and about 6 inches long and 2½ inches wide. However, they may be 8 to 12 inches long and more ovate. The terminal leaflets are the largest, and the base leaflets are the smallest. Leaflets are smooth and dark green on top, 
smooth and paler green below, and have finely serrated margins. The rachis is slender and reddish or brown, and may be slightly rough from fine hairs. Where the leaflets are attached there is most often a red or light purple blush on the rachis. This feature helps differentiate the red hickory from all other hickories. My sample did not have the red blush, probably due to the late season (October). Terminal buds are small and light brown in color.
Male and female flowers are on the same tree, but they bloom at slightly different times so that the tree is self-infertile. Flowering time for the red hickory is late April to May, when leaves are 
developing. Male flowers are drooping green catkins, with 3 hanging from one stalk. These catkins are 2 to 3 inches long. Female flowers are found at the end of branches, appearing as a short tuft of sticky green tissue emerging from a swollen base. Pollination is by the wind. The fruit is a nut encased in a thin but hard, round shell that is light brown and has no ribs. This shell is encased in a green, thin husk with 4 distinct seams. At maturity in early fall, this husk turns brown and splits to the base into 4 sections. The red hickory’s nut is ½ to 1¼ inches wide, and is edible and sweet. Many wildlife species eat these nuts, including rodents, squirrels, and raccoons.
The red hickory has interesting and distinctive characteristics, despite the feeling by many that this tree should be considered a variety of the pignut hickory. Two characteristics give the tree its name: the tree’s reddish-brown wood, and the red or light purple blush on the rachis where leaflets are attached. I feel lucky to have noticed this seldom-seen tree. A larger tree located perhaps 100 yards uphill is shown below.
