Carya ovata, the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory native to eastern North America, with two varieties. The trees can grow to quite a large size but are unreliable in their fruit output. The nut is consumed by wildlife and historically by Native Americans, who also used the wood.

Plant a shagbark hickory, a long-lived large tree with a straight trunk, in a large landscape for excellent shade. This Midwest native is named for its bark, which peels away in large, flat, curving plates, giving the tree a shaggy appearance.

The Shagbark Hickory Tree is a deciduous hardwood tree native to Eastern North America that grows 90′ tall by 70′ wide in optimum growing conditions of full sun & well drained soil. Prized by both humans and animals, it produces edible nuts in late Summer & hosts dozens of insects.

Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) is probably the most distinctive of all the hickories because of its loose-plated bark. Common names include shellbark hickory, scalybark hickory, shagbark, and upland hickory.

It’s easy to see how shagbark hickories got their name—their trunks are characterized by long, peeling strips of bark. Some animals, like Indiana bats, make their homes in snug crevices beneath the loose bark. Branches and leaves of shagbarks …

The Shagbark Hickory is a large deciduous tree that is native to eastern and central USA and parts of Canada. It is found in NC mainly in the Piedmont area, but sporadically in the mountains and coastal areas. It may grow 70 to 90 feet tall with a 50-70 feet spread.

Shagbark hickory is a large deciduous tree native to eastern North America that can grow over 100 feet tall and live more than 350 years. With its shaggy, peeling bark, compound leaves, and sweet, edible nuts, the shagbark hickory is a distinctive and valuable tree.

Shagbark hickory is named for the smoke-gray bark peeling away, top and bottom, from the trunk in long vertical strips like peeling paint. These are often unattached at both ends, giving it a shaggy appearance.

Produces large, edible hickory nuts. Host plant to butterflies. Used by bats. According to Illinois Wildflowers: A large number of insects feed on the wood, foliage, plant juices, and other parts of hickories (Carya spp.).

Carya ovata, commonly called shagbark hickory, is a large deciduous tree that typically grows 70-90’ (infrequently to 120’) tall with an irregular, oval-rounded crown. It is native from Quebec to Minnesota south to Georgia and Texas.