June Tree of the Month-Shellbark Hickory
During a recent trip to the University of Missouri (Mizzou) campus, I couldn’t help but notice the abundance of shellbark hickories, Carya laciniosa. These trees are striking and large, with deep green leaves and thick-shelled fruits forming throughout the branches.
Missouri nut trees are not common in the typical homeowner’s yard. The large fruits are seen as “messy” or a nuisance. These trees are what keep the natural world still moving and grooving, supplying wildlife with an annual food source, but back in “the day,” humans coveted the hickories for their wood and their fruits. From tool handles to smoked wood flavor on meats, we utilized the abundant hickories of our forests to panel our homes, craft our tools, and sustain us throughout the winter months.
Donald Culross Peattie, in A Natural History of Trees, speaks of the “American Bottom” along the Mississippi from Kaskaskia to Alton, IL, and how an early settler described it as being in an “Aboriginal state.” Towering cottonwood, box welder, hackberry, ash, and maples were all towered over by the shellbark hickory soaring 100′ high.
These days, it is only found in public parks or arboretums, such as the Mizzou campus, and can reach up to 80′ with a 60′ spread, still making it the largest of the hickories.
Preferring moist, rich soils and full sun, the shellbark can make a beautiful shade tree, provided it’s given plenty of room.
If grown for nut production, cross-pollination is recommended.
What I love about this plant;
-Beautiful, large shade tree.
-Rich history.
-Abundant food producers for wildlife.
-Native!
What’s not so great;
-In the typical suburban setting, it’s way too large. Make sure you have the space before you plant.
-Hard to find in the trade.
Abundant nuts can be a nuisance in suburban settings.
– Hickory bark beetle, pecan weevil, borers, and twig girdlers can be pests, while white heart rot, anthracnose, leaf blotch, powdery mildew, leaf spot, catkin blight, and crown gall are occasional diseases.
-Comments or questions? Email Garden-Lou at gardenloustl@gmail.com
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2025, All rights reserved.
