North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Carya aquatica

Carya aquatica (Michx. f.) Nutt.

water hickory, bitter pecan

Synonym(s): Carya aquatica var. australis, Hicoria aquatica

Image ID: 13452
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: CAAQ2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carya aquatica
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2016-12-22

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: CARYA
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Carya
GENUS AUTHORITY: Nutt.
GENUS COMMON: Hybrid hickory
GENUS SUMMARY: [contributed by Alan S. Weakley & Robert K. Peet]
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Surface vestiture of leaves and bud scales is useful in distinguishing species of Carya. Some use of these characters can be made with a 10� or 20� hand lens; better still is a dissecting microscope. It is important to understand the different trichome types mentioned in the key (terminology follows Hardin 1990 and Hardin & Stone 1984). Short acicular trichomes are simple, unicellular trichomes tapered to a pointed tip, 0.10-0.35 mm long and with rough walls. Long acicular trichomes (solitary of Hardin & Stone 1984) are similar to short acicular, but are much larger, 0.45-1.6 mm long, and have smooth walls. Fasciculate trichomes are multicellular and have 2-8 straight or curled rays radiating from a clustered base. Multiradiate trichomes are similar to fasciculate, but have 8-17 rays, the inner (and usually more upright) rays attached basally above the outer (and usually more spreading) rays. Capitate glandular trichomes are unicellular or multicellular, and are distinguished by their bulbous or expanded tip; they are usually 0.02-0.1 mm long. Peltate scales are flat or dome-shaped shields or disks, slightly to strongly glandular, (sometimes regularly or irregularly lobed) and can be either sessile or stalked (they are often referred to as scales, resin dots, peltate glands, or lepidote scales). On the lower surfaces of leaflets, peltate scales are of two types: large peltate scales are 0.08-0.3 mm in diameter and are round, with smooth or slightly irregular margins, while small peltate scales are 0.025-0.12 mm in diameter and are either round, irregularly lobed or regularly 2- or 4-lobed.
GENUS REFERENCES: Stone in FNA (1997); Hardin (1992); Hardin & Stone (1984); Elias (1972); Stone, Adrouny, & Flake (1969); Stone (1961); Mohlenbrock (1986); Sargent (1918); Manning (1950); Hardin (1952); Little (1969); Harrar & Harrar (1962); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Key based in part on an unpublished manuscript prepared by Stone & Hardin for the Flora of the Southeastern United States.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: JUGLAN
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Juglandaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A. Richard ex Kunth 1824
FAMILY COMMON: Walnut Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 8 genera and 60 species, trees and shrubs, mostly temperate.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Stone in FNA (1997); Manos & Stone (2001); Elias (1972); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Pinnate
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Apr-May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
				x

FRUITING PERIOD: Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
175	HORT	2002-12-02	Stern	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
799	1985-0458			View
3513	1991-0166			View
5666	1995-0790			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1523	799	157	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1524	799	160	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
5770	3513	6	NCBG staff	1991-12-04	View
8180	5666	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: CAAQ2
USDA Common Name: Water Hickory
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL				OBL	OBL		OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carya aquatica
COMMON NAME: Water Hickory, Bitter Pecan
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, GW, K1, K3, Mo, RAB, Va, WH3; = Hicoria aquatica (Michaux f.) Britton - S]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-May; Oct.
HABITAT: Swamp forests, where flooded during the winter months.
COMMENTS: Se. VA south to s. peninsular FL, west to e. TX, north inland to se. MO, s. IL, and se. OK.
RANGE MAP: Carya aquatica.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Juglandaceae A. Richard ex Kunth 1824 (Walnut Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 8 genera and 60 species, trees and shrubs, mostly temperate.
REFERENCE: Stone in FNA (1997); Manos & Stone (2001); Elias (1972); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Carya Nutt. (Hybrid hickory)
SUMMARY: [contributed by Alan S. Weakley & Robert K. Peet]
REFERENCE: Stone in FNA (1997); Hardin (1992); Hardin & Stone (1984); Elias (1972); Stone, Adrouny, & Flake (1969); Stone (1961); Mohlenbrock (1986); Sargent (1918); Manning (1950); Hardin (1952); Little (1969); Harrar & Harrar (1962); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Key based in part on an unpublished manuscript prepared by Stone & Hardin for the Flora of the Southeastern United States.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Carya aquatica in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Carya aquatica in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Carya aquatica in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Carya aquatica in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Carya aquatica in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Carya aquatica

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 13452 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 13452 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 13454 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)