Carya texana
| Carya texana | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 49' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Carya texana (common name: black hickory)
Propagation: Seed - requires a period of cold stratification. It is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1]. Stored seed should be kept moist (but not wet) prior to sowing and should be sown in a cold frame as soon as possible[1]. Where possible, sow 1 or 2 seeds only in each deep pot and thin to the best seedling. If you need to transplant the seedlings, then do this as soon as they are large enough to handle, once more using deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Put the plants into their permanent positions as soon as possible, preferably in their first summer, and give them some protection from the cold for at least the first winter[1][K]. Seed can also be sown in situ so long as protection is given from mice etc and the seed is given some protection from cold[2] (a plastic bottle with the top and bottom removed and a wire mesh top fitted to keep the mice out is ideal)
Cultivation: Prefers a deep moisture-retentive loam in a sunny sheltered position, requiring a good summer for best development[3][4][5][2]. Slow growing[2].
There is some confusion over the naming of this species, with two separate authors of the name being cited. C. texana. Buckl. is used by some authorities as the correct name and C. buckleyi (q.v.) is given as a synonym of that species[6][5]. However, other authorities cite C. texana. DC. as the correct name, in this case C. buckleyi remains as a separate species[7].
Plants are strongly tap-rooted and should be planted in their permanent positions as soon as possible[3][5]. Sowing in situ would be the best method so long as the seed could be protected from mice[3][2].
Trees are late coming into leaf (usually late May to June) and lose their leaves early in the autumn (usually in October)[5]. During this time they cast a heavy shade. These factors combine to make the trees eminently suitable for a mixed woodland planting with shrubs and other trees beneath them[5].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[2].
Most species in this genus have quite a wide range of distribution and, in order to find trees more suited to this country, seed from the most appropriate provenances should be sought[5]. Most trees growing in Britain at present tend to only produce good seed after hot summers[5].
Trees are self-fertile but larger crops of better quality seeds are produced if cross-pollination takes place[8].
Range: Southern N. America - Texas.
Habitat: Dry sandy woods or rocky slopes[9][5]. Bottomlands and low wet woods[7]. Lowland and upland woods, usually on sandy soils but also sometimes on limestone[10].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[11][12]. A sweet flavour, but the seed is small with a very thick shell[13][14]. Another report says that the kernel has a bitter flavour[10]. The seed is up to 4cm long[8]. The seed ripens in late autumn and, when stored in its shell in a cool place, will keep for at least 6 months[K].
Usage: Wood - close grained, tough, strong, brittle[7][13]. It weighs 50lb per cubic foot[15]. Used mainly for fuel, it burns well giving off a lot of heat[7][13].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Early Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: C. arkansana. C. buckleyi. Durand. C. villosa.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Howes, Frank. Nuts. Faber, 1948.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 9. 1986 - 1987. Royal Horticultural Society, 1986.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Vines, Robert. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press, 1987.
- ↑ Vines, Robert. Trees of North Texas. University of Texas Press, 1982.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.