Mockernut hickory - bark
this bark has ridges with an interlaced netted appearance
Mockernut hickory - twig
twig shows the three lobed leaf scar and the nearly white bud beneath darker leaf scales
Mockernut hickory - fruit
thick husks of mockernut hickory on forest floor
Mockernut hickory - leaves
pinnately compound leaf with finely toothed leaflet margins and hairy leaf stems
Mockernut hickory - male flowers (catkins)
male flowers hanging down from leaf axils in catkins - releasing pollen in the wind

Plant Characteristics:

  • Tree: large tree that can grow to 70 ft or more; straight trunk with a rounded crown
  • Bark: dark gray to black, deeply furrowed; often appearing to have overlapping diamond shapes
  • Twigs: stout and hairy, cinnamon; 3-lobed leaf scars appear “monkey faced”
  • Buds: terminal bud chocolate chip-shaped, covered with scales which fall off during the winter to reveal a creamy white bud
  • Leaves: alternate; pinnately compound; 9 – 14 in long with 7-9 finely toothed leaflets; leaf stem is hairy and leaflets are often hairy and aromatic when crushed
  • Fall Foliage: yellow
  • Flowers: species has separate male and female flowers on the same tree. Male flowers are slender catkin clusters 4-6 in long; females are small, in clusters of 2-5 at the end of stems
  • Fruit type: oval, a thick reddish-brown husk that splits almost to the base when ripe; the nut is 1½ to 2 in long, strongly 4-sided with sweet, edible meat

Additional Details:

  • Wood is used for tool handles, skis, baseball bats, furniture, fuelwood, lumber, charcoal and smoking meats.
  • The nuts are a preferred food for wildlife, particularly squirrels, black bears, foxes, rabbits, beavers, white-footed mice and white-tailed deer.
  • The nuts can be used as you would a walnut for oil and flour and the sap can be collected to make syrup. 
  • Nearly impossible to transplant because of a large taproot. 
  • This tree can live to 500 years.

A member of the Walnut Family, also known as Big-Bud Hickory, Bullnut Hickory and White Heart Hickory because of its white center and otherwise brown wood. The name ‘mockernut’ alludes to the nuts, while the size of shagbark hickory nuts, are very tough, small, and have an inferior taste.

References:
Brown, R. and M. Brown. 1972. Woody Plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Baltimore, MD.
Foster, S. and J. Duke. 1990. A field guide to medicinal plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
Grimm, W. C. and J. Kartesz. 2002. The Illustrated Book of Trees. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsburg, PA.
Harris, J. and M. Woolf Harris. 1994. Plant Identification Terminology: An illustrated Glossary. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, UT.
Peterson, L. 1977. A field guide to edible wild plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
Virginia Department of Forestry. 2022. Common Native Trees of Virginia – Tree Identification Guide.
The Wildflower Center Staff. 2023. Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The University of Texas at Austin.