Hickory Dickory Dock

As an extension to the last post I made about Shumard Oak in Essex County, we were also encountering a fair amount of hickory in the forests and swamps including Shellbark Hickory (Carya laciniosa), otherwise known as Kingnut.  I first saw Shellbark in the Blenheim area and what stood out was the persistent leaf petioles (stems).  On some twigs it seems you can get up to 3, 4, 5 years' growth as shown in the pictures below.  This is especially easy to spot once the leaves have fallen.  Shellbark is quite similar to Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata); both have deeply peeling bark and can be found in the same mesic to wet habitats although Shagbark is often found on drier soils as well.  Shellbark tends to have 7-9 leaflets (versus 5), persistent petioles, larger fruits with minimal indentation at the margin of each husk (versus smaller, indented husks), and an orange hue to both the buds and pedicels.

This species is restricted to counties on the north shore of Lake Erie where it can be found on rich floodplain forests and bottomlands.  The fruits are generally the largest of our hickories, I've seen one roughly the size of a tennis ball, imagine hitting that with a lawn mower.  The creviced bark of Shellbark (as well as Shagbark) is used by bats during the summer for roosting.