Pale Hickory Carya pallida
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KAY-ree-ah PAL-li-dah
- Description
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Sand hickory is a large deciduous tree in the Juglandaceae (walnut) family growing slowly to 100 feet at maturity. It is native to the southeastern United States and often found in dry, sandy, or gravelly soils as the common name suggests. It can be found throughout North Carolina, especially the Sandhills region of the coastal plain. This tree has a straight trunk and a dense crown. The flowers are both male and female; male catkins, 3 to 4 inches long, and female flowers of similar size bloom in early spring season from March to May and range in color from yellow to green to brown. The Sand hickory nut is oval, dark-brown, and typically consumed by rodents, squirrels, and large birds.
Sand hickory prefers moist loam in a sunny sheltered position. This plant has a significant tap root and is difficult to transplant; it should be planted in its permanent position. These trees are relatively late coming into leaf and lose their leaves early in the autumn, but while the leaves are present, the trees cast a heavy shade making them suitable for planting as a shade tree or in a mixed woodland setting.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
Host plant of Microstroma juglandis a pathogen which can cause the fungal disease Downy Leaf Spot.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Carya
- Species:
- pallida
- Family:
- Juglandaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The wood is heavy, hard, and tough and has been used for tool handles.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern North America
- Distribution:
- Central and Southwestern United States, Southern Illinois to Oklahoma and Texas.
- Wildlife Value:
- The fruit is eaten by birds and squirrels.
- Edibility:
- The seed can be eaten, raw or cooked, and has a sweet flavor.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Broad
- Erect
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Pear-shaped to round nut 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches wide, yellow when young, dark brown when mature in early fall. Rather thin-shelled, the seed is small and sweet and ripens in late autumn. When stored in its shell in a cool place, will keep for at least 6 months.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Petals:
- Bracts
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Moneceious male flowers catkins, female flowers in clusters at the tips of branches, appear in early to mid-spring. Stalks hirsute, scaly, bracts scaly, hirsute at apex; anthers hirsute.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Description:
- Alternate, pinnately compound with 5 to 9 serrated, lance to ovate leaflets. Underside is pale, with silvery scales and pubesent. The leaves are spicily fragrant, similar to other tetraploid hickories of Carya.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Ridges
- Scaly
- Smooth
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Diamond
- Bark Description:
- Smooth gray bark when young, forming deep furrows and scaly ridges with a diamond shape at maturity.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Hairy
- Stem Cross Section:
- Round
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Red brown to dark brown with light lenticles, stout branches but more slender than other hickories. Buds are oval shaped with silvery scales and hairs. Leaf scars are three lobed. Terminal buds reddish brown, sparsely to densely scaly; outer bud scales with coarse hairs on midribs.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
