Bitternut Hickory

The bitternut hickory is a slender tree that can exceed 100 feet in height. Like this tree, it is often found in floodplains.  The tree’s bark has shallow grooved interconnecting ridges.  The leaves are compound, with 9 – 11 leaflets. To identify this tree, look for its large yellow buds.

The tree produces small, globe-shaped nuts that are covered by a thin, green husk with four sharp ridges. Given their bitter taste, they are not fit for human consumption. In fact, many four-legged critters pass on them as well, unless food gets scarce late in winter.

The harvested wood has many uses from flooring to furniture to wooden handled tools. The tree makes great firewood and is used for hickory-smoked meats and barbecue charcoal.

This tree ID sign is sponsored by the Baltimore County Forestry Board,
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