The diverse world of hickory

摘要

If you are reading this then I assume you know that pecans (Carya illinoensis) are in the hickory family. Pecans are also the "high point" of the family in terms of economic importance. However, there are several other species that might have some value as well if some time and effort was put into their study. Two things got me thinking about writing this article: first, when I was a kid in Michigan I would wait for the bus under a shagbark hickory (C. ovata) tree. In the fall, when the nuts fell tothe ground, I would while away the time by de-shucking them and crushing the shells, just to get a taste of the nut. They were nearly always bitter, but there is something about eating a fresh nut right off the tree (or the ground).