Trees of Indiana Part 7

=Distribution.=--Quebec west to southern Minnesota, Kansas and eastern Texas, thence eastward to the Atlantic through the north part of the Gulf States. It is frequent to common in all parts of Indiana except on the hills of the southern part. It prefers rich moist soil and is generally found in bottom lands or on rolling land, and if in dryer situations on the sides of hills. It is generally a.s.sociated with red oak, big sh.e.l.lbark hickory, swamp white oak, sweet gum, linn, white ash, slippery elm, sugar maple, beech, etc. In the forest it is a tall straight tree with few main branches for a crown. No tree carries its taper better than this species. When grown in the open the side branches do not shade off, and it grows to a medium height with a wide spreading crown.

=Remarks.=--The writer has one specimen from Wells County which no doubt should be referred to this species, but the description has not been drawn to cover it. The twigs are very slender and p.u.b.escent; the leaves are normal and p.u.b.escent; the fruit is obovoid, 2-4 cm. long; husk less than 1 mm. thick at outer end and 2 mm. thick at the base; nut obovoid, 1-8 cm. long, little compressed, rounded at the base, rounded at the apex, slightly angled, angles obscure on lower half; otherwise as the type.

The species is very variable and no dependence can be placed upon such characters as p.u.b.escence of the twigs, leaves or fruit, size of the twigs, color of the anthers, size or shape of the nuts.

The wood of the sh.e.l.lbark and the big sh.e.l.lbark hickories is the most used of all the hickories because it is generally freer from knots and blemishes. Hickory is used princ.i.p.ally for carriage and wagon stock, agricultural implements, handles and fuel. The supply of hickory is fast waning, and in the near future will be limited.

The hickories are very slow growing trees. They develop a long tap root, hence are hard to transplant. Hickory should const.i.tute an important part of the woodlot. If this species is not well represented, germinated nuts should be planted. The nut of this species usually sells for $3.00 to $5.00 per bushel, which should encourage land owners to plant it in the open along fences and about the orchard. It should be remembered that hickory will not stand much tramping by stock.

=3a.= =Carya ovata= variety =fraxiniflia= Sargent. Trees and Shrubs 2:207:1913. Is described as having leaflets lanceolate to slightly oblanceolate, ac.u.minate, thick and firm in texture, l.u.s.trous above, p.u.b.escent along the midribs below, the terminal 1.4-1.5 dm. long from 4.4-5 cm. wide, and raised on a slender p.u.b.erulous petiolule, the lateral leaflets unsymmetrical at the base, sessile, those of the lowest pair 7-9 cm. long, and from 2.5-3 cm. wide. Sargent[20] says "this variety occurs in Indiana," basing his authority upon my specimens of which he has duplicates. Heimlich[21] reports this variety from White County, and at the same time he reported the variety from Daviess, Martin and Wells Counties, based upon specimens collected by the author and determined by Sargent. I have carefully studied the specimens from Daviess, Martin and Wells Counties, and they do not agree with Sargent's description of the variety. While most of the leaves of the specimens in question agree with the description, some do not, which excludes it from the variety.

=3b.= =Carya ovata= variety =Nuttallii= Sargent. Trees and Shrubs 2:207:1913. This variety is described as having "nut rounded, obcordate or rarely pointed at apex, rounded or abruptly pointed at the base, much compressed, prominently angled, about 1.5 cm. long and 1-1.2 cm. thick; the involucre 4-10 mm. thick, splits freely to the base. Except in size of the fruit there appears to be no character by which the variety can be distinguished from the common s.h.a.gbark." Heimlich[22] reported this variety from Dekalb County, based upon specimens collected by the author and determined by Sargent. The nuts of the specimens from Dekalb County are 2 cm. long. The author has specimens from Wells County that agree with the description.

=4.= =Carya lacinisa= (Michaux filius) Loudon. Big Sh.e.l.lbark Hickory.

Plate 25. Large tall trees with trunks like those of the sh.e.l.lbark hickory; bark of young trees tight, beginning to scale when the trees reach a diameter of 1-2 dm., on older trees separating and scaling off into long thin narrow strips; twigs at the end of the season stout, 4-7 mm. thick near the tip, the twigs of the season hairy at first, becoming glabrous or nearly so by the end of autumn, yellowish or late in autumn a rusty brown, frequently retaining the leaf-stalks of the leaves of the previous season until spring which is peculiar to this species; terminal buds large, ovoid to ovoid-oblong, 10-25 mm. long; ordinary leaves 3-5 dm. long; leaflets 5-9, prevailing number 7, ovate to oblong-lanceolate or obovate, the largest 1-2 dm. long, velvety beneath when they unfold and remaining hairy beneath until maturity, rarely nearly glabrous; fruit ovate, subglobose, oblong or obovate, 3.5-7 cm. long; dry husk 3.5-11 mm. thick; nut variable, generally much compressed, up to 5.5 cm.

long, usually circular in outline, but varying from ovate to obovate and oblong, usually each side has 2 or 3 ridges which extend more or less often to the base; sh.e.l.l very thick; kernel sweet; wood and uses same as that of the sh.e.l.lbark hickory.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 25.

CARYA LACINIOSA (Michaux filius) Loudon. Big Sh.e.l.lbark Hickory. ( 1/2.)

The nuts are from different trees to show variation.]

=Distribution.=--Southwestern Ontario south to Alabama and west to Louisiana, Nebraska and Iowa. Found throughout Indiana, except there are as yet no records from the extreme northwest counties. It is frequent to common in moist rich woods, or in river bottoms which is its favorite habitat. It is usually a.s.sociated with the sh.e.l.lbark hickory where it grows in moist situations. Sometimes in the river bottoms it grows in situations too wet for the sh.e.l.lbark hickory. In the lower Wabash bottoms it becomes a common tree.

=Remarks.=--This hickory is also known as the big scaly-bark hickory and hard-head hickory. The nuts are an article of commerce and by some are preferred to the sh.e.l.lbark hickory although the nuts are hard to crack.

This objection is easily overcome by wetting the nuts, and drying them by using heat which cracks the sh.e.l.l, making them easy to crack.

=5.= =Carya alba= (Linnaeus) K. Koch. White Hickory. Plate 26. Medium sized tall trees up to 10 dm. in diameter; bark tight, of two types, one light colored, thin and fissured into a network. This form has been seen only in the river bottoms of the southwestern part of the State. The common type of bark is thick, with thick ridges, dark but on the older trees it weathers to a light gray and becomes thickly covered with lichens; terminal twigs of branches at end of season stout, 3.5-7 mm. in diameter near the tip, densely hairy at first and remaining hairy throughout the season or becoming almost glabrous, reddish-brown; terminal bud large, ovate, 10-20 mm. long; ordinary leaves 2-4 dm. long, the rachis and under side of leaflets densely hairy when they unfold, remaining p.u.b.escent until maturity; leaflets 5-9, prevailing number 7, long-oval, ovate-lanceolate, or obovate; fruit usually globose, more rarely short elliptic, ovate or obovoid, the husk rather tardily opening to nearly the base, or only checking open at the top; dried husk 3-8 mm.

thick; nut variable in shape, little compressed, somewhat globose, a little longer than wide, more rarely wider than long or short elliptic, usually 2.5-3.5 cm. long, generally rounded at the base and short-pointed at the apex, more rarely pointed at the base and long pointed at the apex, (one specimen is at hand that is almost a square box), usually with 4-6 angles, on some forms obscure; sh.e.l.l thick; kernel very small, sweet; wood and uses same as sh.e.l.lbark hickory.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 26.

CARYA ALBA (Linnaeus) K. Koch. White Hickory. ( 1/2.)

The nuts are from different trees to show variation.]

=Distribution.=--Southwestern Ontario south to the Gulf and west to Texas, Missouri and Iowa. Found throughout Indiana, except there are no records from the extreme northwestern counties. This species except in the lower Wabash Valley is confined to the uplands. It is rather a rare tree in northern Indiana, but becomes more or less frequent in the western part of the State south of the Wabash River and more or less frequent to common on the hills in all of the State south of Marion County. It is most abundant in the unglaciated area.

=Remarks.=--This species is called mockernut by text books, and bull hickory in the vicinity of New Albany.

=5a.= =Carya alba= variety =subcoriacea= Sargent. Trees and Shrubs 2:207:1913. Only one tree of this variety is known in Indiana and it is located in Posey County on the bank of the cypress swamp about 13 miles southwest of Mt. Vernon. Specimens from this tree were sent to Sargent and he referred them to this variety.[23] It differs from the type in the larger size and shape of the fruit and nut. The dried fruit is 5 cm.

long, oblong. The nut is oblong, 4.4 cm. long, pointed at both ends, or some nuts somewhat ovate in shape and more rounded at the base, little compressed and strongly angled; sh.e.l.l very thick, 5 mm. at the thinnest place; kernel very small and sweet. The nut easily distinguishes it from all forms of hickory. The author has bought hickory nuts for table use for several years from Posey County and this nut is frequently found in the a.s.sortment which shows that this variety is more or less frequent in that section.

=6.= =Carya glabra= (Miller) s.p.a.ch. Black Hickory. Plate 27. Very tall medium sized trees, up to 7 dm. in diameter; bark tight, usually dark, fissures shallow on some and quite deep on others; twigs reddish-brown, glabrous, terminal buds small, ovoid, about 7-12 mm. long; ordinary leaves 2-3 dm. long; leaflets generally lanceolate, sometimes quite wide, or wider beyond the middle, prevailing number 5, the terminal usually 11-19 cm. long, somewhat p.u.b.escent on unfolding, more or less p.u.b.escent below at maturity, usually only the midrib, axils and larger veins with hairs; fruit generally smooth and obovoid, rarely globose or oval, 22-40 mm. long; husk sometimes not opening, more often one or more of the sutures open to less than half way, 1-2 mm. thick; nut about 20-30 mm. long and 16-25 mm. wide, rounded at the apex, elongated and rounded at the base, angles wanting or obscure; sh.e.l.l very hard and thick, about 1.5 mm. thick at the thinnest point; kernel sweet and astringent; wood and uses same as that of the sh.e.l.lbark hickory.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 27.

CARYA GLABRA (Miller) s.p.a.ch. Black Hickory. ( 1/2.)

Fruit from different trees to show variation.]

=Distribution.=--Southern Ontario south to the Gulf States and west to Texas and Iowa. This species is reported for all parts of the State.

However, the records for the northern counties were made when this species was not separated from _Carya ovalis_, and since the latter species is quite frequent in the northern counties it is best to refer the early records to _Carya ovalis_. The most northern station based upon an existing specimen is the north side of the Mississinewa River east of Eaton in Delaware County. It is a frequent, common to very common tree on the hills in the southern part of the State. It has its ma.s.s distribution in the unglaciated part of the State, although it is locally a frequent to a common tree of the hills of the other southern counties. It appears that this species has the ability to invade areas after the virgin forest is cut, and it is not an uncommon sight to see this species in almost pure stands on the hills of cut-over lands.

=Remarks.=--This species is often called pignut. Sargent wisely suggests that this name be used exclusively for _Carya cordiformis_. The great abundance of this species in Brown, Morgan and Monroe Counties has been instrumental in building up a large business in the manufacture of hickory chairs and furniture. Frames of furniture are made from the very young trees, and backs and seats from the bark of old trees, which are cut, stripped of their bark, and often left to rot.

=6a.= =Carya glabra= variety =megacarpa= Sargent[24]. This variety was reported for Indiana by Heimlich.[25] His report was based on a specimen collected by the author in Franklin County. It was named by Sargent who has a duplicate specimen. Sargent in his revision of the hickories does not include Indiana in its range. The size of the fruit is the character that marks the variety and I do not believe this is sufficient to warrant its separation. I have, therefore, included all Indiana forms under the type.

=7.= =Carya ovalis= (w.a.n.genheim) Sargent. Small-fruited Hickory. Plate 28. Medium sized tall trees; bark usually tight on the trunk for a distance up to 1.5-3 m., then becoming more or less scaly like the sh.e.l.lbark hickory, on some trees the bark is very thick and is quite scaly but it does not flake off in thin plates as the sh.e.l.lbark hickory; twigs purplish or reddish-brown, generally smooth by the end of the season, generally 3-4 mm. thick near the tip; terminal winter buds ovoid, 7-10 mm. long, covered with yellow scales and more or less p.u.b.escent; average size leaves 2-3 dm. long; leaflets 3-7, prevailing number usually 7, sometimes 5, usually lanceolate, frequently oval or slightly obovate, the terminal 12-21 cm. long, at maturity usually p.u.b.escent beneath in the axils of the veins, more rarely also the veins covered with hairs; fruit varies greatly in size and shape, the most common form is obovoid, more rarely oval, or subglobose, 25-42 mm. in length, granular and covered with yellow scales; husk usually splitting to the base, although tardily on some, often quite aromatic, dry husk 1.1-3 mm. thick; nut variable in size and shape, from elliptic to obovoid, 15-30 mm. long, compressed, generally about 20 per cent wider than thick, usually rounded at the base, generally slightly obovoid with the apex rounded, or obcordate; a common form has the four sides rounded, as wide as long or almost so, with the ends abruptly rounded so as to appear almost truncate, the elliptic form with both ends pointed is our rarest and smallest form; the surface on all forms is quite smooth, except the elliptic forms which have the angles usually extending from the tip to the base, on other forms the nuts are usually not prominently angled and on some the angles are very obscure except at the apex; sh.e.l.l usually thin, 1-1.5 mm. thick; kernel sweet; wood and uses the same as that of the sh.e.l.lbark hickory.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 28.

CARYA OVALIS (w.a.n.genheim) Sargent. Small-fruited Hickory. ( 1/2.)

The nuts show the species and its varieties.]

Sargent[26] has described five varieties of this species, three of which he credits to Indiana. The writer has sent him specimens from over 100 trees of this species, and he has variously distributed them to the type and varieties. Heimlich has reported Sargent's determination of many of these specimens in the Proc. Ind. Acad. Science, 1917:436-439:1918. The writer cannot agree with the determinations and believes further field study is necessary to discover characters by which the several forms can consistently be divided.

To stimulate the study of this species, the original description of the varieties together with Sargent's characterization of the type are quoted because they are contained in a book not usually found in libraries. To these descriptions are added new characters which Sargent gives in his revision of the hickories in Bot. Gaz. 66:245-247:1918.

=Carya ovalis= (type).

"In the shape of the fruit and in the thickness of its involucre this tree is of four distinct forms; in all of them the involucre splits freely to the base, or nearly to the base, the sh.e.l.l of the nut is thin and the seed, although small, is sweet and edible. The extremes of these forms are very distinct, but there are forms which are intermediate between them, so that it is difficult to decide sometimes to which of the forms these intermediate forms should be referred. The first of these forms, as the fruit agrees with w.a.n.genheim's figure, must be considered the type of the species. The fruit is oval, narrowed and rounded at the base, acute at the apex, usually from 2.5-3 cm. long and about 1.5 cm. in diameter. The involucre is from 2-2.5 mm. thick and occasionally one of the sutures remains closed. The nut is oblong, slightly flattened, rounded at the base, acute or ac.u.minate and four-angled at the apex, the ridges extending for one-third or rarely for one-half of its length, from 2-2.5 cm. long and about 1.5 cm. in diameter. The sh.e.l.l is usually about 1 mm. thick." "The type of this species and its varieties have glabrous or rarely slightly p.u.b.escent leaves, with usually 7 thin leaflets."

=7a.= =Carya ovalis= variety =obcordata= (Muhlenberg) Sargent. "The fruit varies from subglobose to short-oblong or to slightly obovate, showing a tendency to pa.s.s into that of the other varieties of the species. It varies from 2-3 cm. in diameter, and the involucre, which is from 2-5 mm. thick, splits freely to the base or nearly to the base by narrowly winged sutures, one of them rarely extending only to the middle of the fruit. The nut is usually much compressed, often broadest above the middle, slightly angled sometimes to below the middle, rounded at the base and much compressed, often broadest above the middle, slightly angled sometimes to below the middle, rounded at the base and rounded and often more or less obcordate at the apex."

=7b.= =Carya ovalis= variety =odorata= (Marshall) Sargent. "The name may have been given by Marshall to this variety on account of the strong resinous odor of the inner surface of the fresh involucre of the fruit, which I have not noticed in that of the other forms. The fruit is subglobose or sometimes slightly longer than broad, flattened and usually from 1.3-1.5 cm. in diameter. The involucre varies from 1-1.5 mm. in thickness and splits freely to the base by distinctly winged sutures. The nut is rounded or acute at the base with a short point, rounded at the apex, very slightly or not at all ridged, pale colored, from 1.2-1.5 cm. long and wide and from 1-1.2 cm. thick."

=7c.= =Carya ovalis= variety =obovalis= Sargent. "In the fourth form the fruit is more or less obovate, about 2.5 cm. long and 2 cm. in diameter, and the involucre varies from 2-4 mm. in thickness. The nut is much compressed, pointed or rounded at the apex, rounded at the base, usually about 2 cm. long, nearly as broad and about 1.5 cm. thick." "The fruit resembles in shape that of _Carya glabra_, but the involucre is thicker and splits easily to the base or nearly to the base."

=7d.= =Carya ovalis= variety =obcordata=, =f. vest.i.ta= Sargent. Bot.

Gaz. 66:246:1918. This is a form described from a specimen collected by the author on the border of Dan's Pond in Knox County. It differs from "the variety _obcordata_ in the thick tomentose covering of the branchlets during their first year. The leaves of this form are slightly p.u.b.escent in the autumn on the under surface of the midribs. Although the nuts are more compressed than those of the ordinary forms of var.

_obcordata_, the fruit is of that variety. The branchlets are unusually stout for a form of _Carya ovalis_ and are covered with rusty tomentum during their first year and are more or less p.u.b.escent in their second and third seasons."

=Distribution.=--Western New York west to Illinois and south to North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri. The species is found in all parts of the State, although the distribution of the varieties has not been worked out. The habitat of this species is high ground, and only rarely is it found in low ground. It prefers hills, slopes, base of the terraces of streams, and in the northern part of the State gravelly ridges and sandy soil. In all of its range it is usually a.s.sociated with white and black oak. It is infrequent in the southern part of the State but north of the Wabash River it becomes more frequent and in some places it becomes common to very common. It is a common tree in Wells County north of the Wabash River and in the northern part of Lagrange County, and in both places a wide range of forms occur, some of which are not covered by the preceding description.

No one of our trees offers a better opportunity for intensive study than this hickory.

=Remarks.=--Text books call this species the small-fruited hickory. It is not commonly distinguished from the other hickories, but in Wells County where it is common the boys call it "Ladies' Hickory."

=8.= =Carya Buckleyi= variety =arkansana= Sargent.[27] Plate 29. Medium sized trees, bark tight, dark, deeply furrowed; mature twigs more or less p.u.b.escent, reddish brown; terminal buds ovoid, about 8 mm. long, thickly covered with yellow scales, and more or less p.u.b.escent; leaves 2-3.5 dm. long, rachis permanently p.u.b.escent; leaflets 5-7, prevailing number 7, lanceolate, terminal one about 15 cm. long, tawny p.u.b.escent on unfolding, more or less glabrous at maturity; fruit ellipsoid to slightly obovoid, very aromatic, about 3.5-4 cm. long, covered with yellow scales; husk usually splitting to below the middle, 3-4 mm.

thick; nut oblong to slightly obovoid, 3-3.5 cm. long, scarcely compressed, rounded at each end, the four ridges faint except at the apex; sh.e.l.l thick, about 2 mm. at the thinnest point; kernel sweet; wood same as the white hickory which it most closely resembles.

=Distribution.=--Southwestern Indiana, south in the Mississippi Valley to Louisiana and Texas. Known in Indiana only from one tree in Knox County on the sand ridge on the east side of what was formerly a cypress swamp, about two miles north of Decker. The soil is the Knox sand. It is a.s.sociated with black and black jack oaks.

=Remarks.=--The description has been drawn from ample material from this single tree.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Plate 29.