Sweet pignut hickory is a tree in the walnut family (Juglandaceae) native to the central and southeastern U.S.A. In NC it is found primarily in the mountains and Piedmont areas of the state. It is a large tree growing up to 80 feet tall or larger with a deep taproot, making it difficult to transplant. The trunk matures at 2-3 feet in circumference and the crown is rounded to oval. Grow this tree in moist fertile well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. The nuts differ from the pignut hickory tree as they are sweeter and sold commercially. They mature in late summer to fall. Use as a shade tree for large spaces or in a woodland setting. It has great wildlife value providing nesting sites and food for birds and small mammals and is a host plant for moths and butterflies. Fruit drop can be messy. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: There are no serious insect or disease problems. Hickory bark beetle, pecan weevil, borers and twig girdler can be problems in some areas of its range. White heart rot, anthracnose, leaf blotch, powdery mildew, leaf spot, cankers, catkin blight, crown gall, and scab are occasional diseases. Large trees can produce considerable litter through twig, leaf, and fruit (nut) drop. VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “ Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping ” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 70 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in. | Width: 50 ft. 0 in. - 70 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Oval; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate compound leaves are 12 inches long and 8 inches across. There are usually 7 leaflets that are 3-6 inches long and 1-2 inches across. They are elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic with serrated margins. Tips are acute and bases wedge-shaped. They are sessile or nearly so. The leaflets are dark green and shiny while the undersurface is duller and lighter in color. Fall color is yellow to yellow-brown.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower detail
Male flowers are in drooping yellow-green catkins 2-4 inches long. Female flowers are short red spikes in groups of 2-3 at tips of branches. Blooms late spring.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
1-1.5 inches long oval husk that splits into 4 sections revealing a thick shell with a whitish nut inside in late summer to fall.
Bark detail
Young trees have relatively coarse gray bark with irregular furrows and ridges, while the bark of older trees is more shaggy with the strips recurved outward.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Twigs light brown and glabrous with scattered white lenticels, branches light gray and smooth, larger branches with shallow furrows.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and southeastern U.S.A.
Wildlife value
This plant attracts birds and is a larval host for butterflies and moths, including the Luna moth. Small mammals will eat the nuts. This plant supports Hickory Horndevil (Citheronia regalis) larvae which have one brood and appear from May to mid-September. Adult Hickory Horndevil moths do not feed.
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for
butterflies and moths, including the Luna moth
Play value
Wildlife Food Source; Wildlife Larval Host
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Nuts
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Nut
Edibility
Nuts are edible and sold commercially.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Wood is used for making a variety of items, firewood and smoking meats.