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Carya laciniosa, photographed by an iNaturalist contributor
(c) treelogical, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY-NC
#1137 most planted

Carya laciniosa

Shellbark hickory · also Kingnut, Big shellbark, Bottom shellbark

113
trees mapped
0.00%
of all named trees
6
cities
15 in
median trunk (38 cm, 111 measured)

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Carya laciniosa, also known as shellbark hickory or kingnut, is a slow-growing, long-lived tree with large, sweet, and edible nuts. Its wood is hard, heavy, strong, and flexible, making it suitable for tool handles. It is challenging to transplant due to its long taproot and is susceptible to insect damage.

Where it grows

Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.

  1. Toronto · Canada
    79—13 in
  2. Boston · United States
    2623 yr48 in
  3. New York City · United States
    5—12 in
  4. Amsterdam · Netherlands
    1——
  5. Helsinki · Finland
    1—2.0 in
  6. Quebec City · Canada
    1—2.0 in

Traits

Growth rate
Slow
Wildlife value
High

Trunk diameters across every city: median 15 in, mean 21 in, 90th percentile 57 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.

Native range

Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

  • Mississippi lowland forests
  • New England-Acadian forests

Other Carya in the catalogue

8 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.

Interested in talking trees? arborary.world@gmail.comTree data © the respective municipal publishers and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).