Hickory
Description
Any of several North American trees of the genus Carya, such as the white hickory tree (Hicoria alba). Hickory trees are found from New Hampshire to Texas. Hickory timber is valued because it is strong, elastic and shock resistant. The reddish brown wood has a straight grain and a fine texture that polishes well. Pecan is one well-known type of hickory. Hickory is used for flooring, tool handles, farm implements, chairs, wheel spokes, golf clubs, and baseball bats. It is also split into thin canes for weaving.
See also Hickory bark
Synonyms and Related Terms
white hickory trees (Hicoria alba, Carya alba, or Carya tomentosa); shagbark hickory (Carya ovata); pecan (Hicoria pecan or Carya illinoinensis); Almindelig Hassel (Dan.); Gemeine Hasel (Deut.); Haselstrauch (Deut.); Haselnußstrauch (Deut.); pecan (Esp.); noisetier (Fr.); coudrier (Fr.); Nocciolo (It.); Avellana (It.); hazelaar (Ned.); Hassel (Nor.); Leszczyna pospolita (Pol.); cária (Port.); hasseln (Sven.)
Physical and Chemical Properties
- Medium tree growing to 30 m with straight trunk and rounded crown.
- Bark=gray with shallow ridges and furrows.
- Leaves=oval (20-30cm) with serrated edges
- Fruit=obovoid (3-5 cm) with thick husk containing edible ribbed nut.
- Density = 37-58 ppcf
Paper fiber type: hardwood, ring porous. Using transmitted light microscopy, pulp is identified by vessels of two sizes with an irregular arrangement of small pits that may appear variegated. Large barrel-shaped early wood vessels may be fragmented. Perforations are simple. Tyloses are present. Average dimensions of fibers: length 1.3mm, 17μm wide. Appearance with Graff "C" stain: dark blue, but varies with bleaching. Common pulping method: kraft.
Additional Images
Pig-nut Hickory (Hicoria ovata)
Pig-nut Hickory (Hicoria ovata)
Pig-nut Hickory (Hicoria ovata)
Shagbark hickory Carya ovata
Hickory paper pulp stained with Graff "C"stain
Hickory paper pulp stained with Graff "C"stain
Resources and Citations
- F. H. Titmuss, Commercial Timbers of the World, The Technical Press Ltd., London, 1965 Comment: 45-55 ppcf
- Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937
- Virginia Tech Dendrology website at www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/main.htm (accessed Oct. 8, 2005)
- Wikipedia: Hickory (Accessed Oct. 8, 2005 and October 2024)
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 396
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: density=37-58 ppcf (0.60-0.93 g/cm3)
- Marja-Sisko Ilvessalo-Pfäffli. Fiber Atlas: Identification of Papermaking Fibers (Springer Series in Wood Science). Springer, 1995.
- Walter Rantanen. "Fiber ID Course." Integrated Paper Services. June 2013. Lecture.