Carya pallida

Did You Know?

• Hickory wood is used for flooring, cooking, cabinetry, furniture, firewood, musical instruments, and tool handles.
• Carya pallida is a host plant of Microstroma juglandis, which causes Downy Leaf Spot.

Description

Young sand hickory bark is smooth and light-gray or brown, while older bark develops deep squamous ridges and a dark-gray color. The tree is monoecious, bearing male catkins and female flowers on the same plant. Leaves are compound and alternate, with 5 to 9 ovate leaflets (most often 7). The rachis and midrib are covered with soft, tattered hairs, and the underside of leaflets has silvery-blue to silvery-yellow scales. Twigs are slimmer than those of other hickories, and emerging buds are protected by mahogany bud scales. Carya pallida forms extensive taproots, making transplanting difficult. The nut is oval, dark-brown, with a thin shell and a sweet kernel.

Taxonomy

Carya pallida was first described by botanist William W. Ashe in 1902 in The Botanical Gazette. Synonyms include Hicoria pallida and Hicorius pallida. The common name pale hickory refers to the light color of the leaflet underside, while sand hickory reflects its abundance in sandy soils. Some sources list pignut hickory as a common name, but that usually refers to Carya glabra. Varieties described by Ashe include Carya pallida var. apposita, C. pallida var. arenicola, and C. pallida var. pyriformus.

Distribution and habitat

Sand hickory grows across much of the Southeast, from Delaware west into Missouri, but is absent from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. It appears rarely in southwestern Indiana and is uncommon in Maryland. Declines have been noted in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Missouri. This tree thrives in dry oak-hickory forests, often alongside longleaf pine and scrub oak, and can hybridize with pignut hickory.

Horticulture science

Carya species are more likely than other genera to contain rare earth elements such as Scandium, Lanthanum, and Gadolinium in their cells, though the role of these elements is unknown. Horticulturists speculate they may aid in disease resistance, enzyme activities, or ion transportation. Carya pallida is a tetraploid species, along with C. floridana, C. glabra, C. texana, and C. tomentosa. Carya species can be divided into groups with 16, 24, or 32 chromosomes.