Carya tomentosa

Common Names

Mockernut Hickory, White Hickory, White Heart Hickory, Big-Bud Hickory, Mockernut

Summary

Mockernut hickory is a tall, long‑lived deciduous tree native to the eastern and central United States, with a deep taproot that makes transplanting difficult, leaves are alternate and compound with seven to nine leaflets, leaf surfaces are densely pubescent and the petiole and rachis are hairy, with tomentose terminal buds, bark is dark gray and fissured, and fruits are nuts encased in a thick husk that splits into four sections, yielding a sweet kernel with a golden fall color, in cultivation mockernut hickory favors well‑drained soils and full sun to partial shade, with drought tolerance once established, and has a deep taproot that makes transplanting difficult, it is wind‑pollinated and monoecious, with seed production beginning around 25 years and optimum production 40–125 years, propagation relies on seed, requiring cold stratification, with germination averaging 50–75% on a moderately moist seedbed after stratification at 1–4 C for 30–150 days, and seed crops occurring every 2–3 years, nuts are edible for humans, wood is very hard and used for tool handles, furniture, fuel, and charcoal, the tree provides wildlife mast and habitat, supporting restoration and landscape plantings

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

50-80 feet

Spread

40-50 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 4-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Full Sun. Tolerates Partial Sun and Partial Shade.

Soil Type

Deep, fertile, well-drained loam

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soils

Soil pH

Acidic to neutral

Bloom Color

Insignificant

Bloom Time

Spring (April to May)

Foliage Color

Yellowish green to golden, leaves turn golden in fall.

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow to golden

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow growth

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds, attracts butterflies