BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carya tomentosa | Mockernut Hickory 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Mockernut hickory is a medium-to-large native, deciduous tree, typically
reaching a height of 65 to 100 feet (20-30 m) [10,12].  When grown in
association with other trees, mockernut hickory develops a long,
slender, straight trunk which is free of branchlets for about half the
height of the tree.  The crown is open, narrow, and rounded at the top.
In the open, the crown covers much more of the length of the tree and is
generally oblong, with branches that bear straight branchlets.
Sometimes the branches droop.  The trunk is often swollen at the base.
As with other hickories, a deep strong taproot develops [8,14].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Seed production and dissemination:  Mockernut hickory requires a minimum
of 25 years to reach commercial seed-bearing age.  Optimum production
occurs from 40 to 125 years, and the maximum age for commercial seed
production is 200 years.  Good seed crops occur every 2 to 3 years. with
light seed crops in the intervening years.  Approximately 50 to 75
percent of the fresh seed will germinate [28].

Mockernut hickory has one of the heaviest seeds of the hickory genus.
Cleaned seeds range from 32 to 113 per pound (70-200/kg).  Seed is
disseminated mainly by gravity, squirrels, and birds [28].

Seedling development:  Hickory nuts seldom remain viable on the ground
for more than 1 year.  This species requires a moderately moist seedbed
for satisfactory seed germination; germination is epigeal.  Seedlings
are slow growing.

Vegetative reproduction:  Mockernut hickory will sprout prolifically
from the stump after cutting or fire.  As the stumps increase in size,
the number of stumps that produce sprouts decreases [28].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
In the north, mockernut hickory grows on rocky hills and slopes and less
frequently on alluvial bottomlands [1].  In the Cumberland Mountains and
in the hills of southern Indiana, it grows on dry sites, typically south
and west slopes or dry ridges.  Most of the merchantable mockernut
hickory grows on moderately fertile uplands.  It attains its best
development on deep fertile soils [15,28].

In addition to those indicated by SAF cover types (DISTRIBUTION AND
OCCURRENCE) common tree associates of mockernut hickory include eastern
hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), sweet birch (Betula lenta), bitternut
(Carya cordiformis), shagbark hickory (C. glabra), flowering dogwood
(Cornus florida), green ash (Fraxinus americana), and oaks (Quercus
spp.) [18,23].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Mockernut hickory is classified as intolerant of shade, but at certain
times during its life, may be variously classified as tolerant to
intolerant.  It recovers rapidly from disturbances and is probably a
climax species on moist sites [17,28].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Mockernut hickory flowers open from early April in central Florida to
the end of May in eastern New England.  The fruit ripens in September
and October, and the seed is dispersed from September through December
[21,31].

Related categories for Species: Carya tomentosa | Mockernut Hickory