Shellbark hickory | The Morton Arboretum

Family (English) Walnut
Family (botanic) Juglandaceae
Planting site City parkway, Residential and parks, Wide median
Tree or plant type Tree
Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
Native locale Chicago area, Illinois, North America
Size range Large tree (more than 40 feet)
Mature height 75-100 feet
Mature width 50-75 feet
Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9
Soil preference Wet soil
Tolerances Occasional flooding, Wet sites
Season of interest early winter, midwinter, late winter, early fall, mid fall, late fall
Flower color and fragrance Inconspicuous
Shape or form Oval
Growth rate Moderate
Transplants well No
Planting considerations May be difficult to find in nurseries
Wildlife Browsers, Game birds, Migrant birds, Small mammals
Has cultivars Yes

Native geographic location and habitat:

This midwestern native is found primarily in wet bottomlands. C-Value: 10.

Bark color and texture:

Mature trees have gray bark that exfoliates in long flat plates with outwardly curving ends giving the tree a shaggy appearance. The shaggy bark has year-round appeal. Nearly as shaggy as the bark of shagbark hickory.

Leaf or needle arrangement, size, shape, and texture:

Alternate, pinnately compound leaves have seven to nine leaflets with serrated margins. Terminal buds are 1 inch long. Fall color is golden brown.

Flower arrangement, shape, and size:

Relatively inconspicuous, the tiny male flowers are in 3 to 4 inch long, pendulous catkins. The small female flowers are in terminal spikes.

Fruit, cone, nut, and seed descriptions:

Fruit is an edible, oval nut with a thick, five to six sectioned husk that ripens in the fall. The largest nut produced by a native hickory, it is 2 1/2 inches long.