Hickory

Hickory (Carya), a genus of trees, comprising about a dozen species, belonging to the weelnut family and native to North America. They differ from the true walnuts in their male catkins being borne three together; in each flower having not more than six stamens; in the female flowers having no corolla, and a sessile four-lobed stigma; and in the outer part of the fruit splitting regularly into four valves. The hickories reach a large size and yield coarse-grained, strong, heavy and very elastic timber, largely used for barrel-hoops, whip-handles, axe-handles, chair-backs, musket-stocks and fuel, but not very durable. C. alba, the shell bark or scaly-bark hickory, yields the best timber and the edible nuts known as hickory-nnts. C. olivceformis is the source of the much superior Peccan nut, but even this is not equal in flavour to a walnut.