''Carya myristiciformis'', the nutmeg hickory, a tree of the

Juglandaceae The Juglandaceae are a plant family known as the walnut family. They are trees, or sometimes shrubs, in the order Fagales. Members of this family are native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia. The nine or ten genera in the family have ...

or walnut family, also called swamp hickory or bitter water hickory, is found as small, possibly

relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

populations across the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

and in northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

on rich moist soils of higher bottom lands and stream banks. Little is known of the growth rate of nutmeg hickory. Logs and lumber are sold mixed with other hickories. The nuts are an oil-rich food for wildlife.

Habitat

Native range

Nutmeg hickory is the rarest species in the genus, occurring in a few areas scattered in southeastern

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, eastern

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, central

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, northern

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, southern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, eastern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and northeastern Mexico. The species is typically found in river bottomlands with

calcareous soil Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

ridges. The species is abundant only near

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

, and in southern Arkansas. Nutmeg hickory has a native range nearly identical with that of Durand Oak (''Q. durandii'' var. ''durandii''). Both may be relics of a more ancient flora than now occupies the region.

Climate

Precipitation within the range of nutmeg hickory varies from per year, or more falling during the growing season. The frost-free period of most of the native range is about 240 days. Summers are warm and dry in the western portion of the range, but warm and wet in the South Carolina disjuncts. July temperatures average about . January temperatures average between . Extremes of temperature are .

Soils and topography

Nutmeg hickory grows on a variety of loamy, silty, or clayey soils that may be described as moist, but well or moderately well drained and amply supplied with mineral nutrients. The species most often is found in minor stream bottoms, on second bottom flats, and on slopes or bluffs near streams. The principal soils on which nutmeg hickory is generally found are in the orders Alfisols and

Inceptisol Inceptisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy. They form quickly through alteration of parent material. They are more developed than Entisols. They have no accumulation of clays, iron oxide, aluminium oxide or organic matter. They have a ...

Associated forest cover

Nutmeg hickory is not an important species in any forest cover type and is only a minor associate in Swamp Chestnut Oak-Cherrybark Oak (

Society of American Foresters The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a professional organization representing the forestry industry in the United States. Its mission statement declares that it seeks to "advance the science, education, and practice of forestry; to enhance t ...

Type 91). Other prominent associates in this type include white ash (''Fraxinus americana''); shagbark hickory (''Carya ovata''), shellbark hickory (''Carya laciniosa''), mockernut hickory (''C. tomentosa''), and bitternut hickory (''Carya cordiformis''); Shumard oak (''Quercus shumardii''); and blackgum (''Nyssa sylvatica''). Less important associates are willow oak (''Quercus phellos''), water oak (''Quercus nigra''), and Durand oaks (''Quercus durandii'');

American elm ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. The trees can live for several hundred years. It is a very hardy species that can ...

(''Ulmus americana'') and winged elms (''Ulmus alata''); yellow-poplar (''Liriodendron tulipifera''); and

American beech American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(''Fagus grandifolia''). Some common small trees and shrubs occurring with nutmeg hickory are eastern hophornbeam (''Ostrya virginiana''),

American hornbeam ''Carpinus caroliniana'', the American hornbeam, is a small hardwood understory tree in the genus ''Carpinus''. American hornbeam is also known as blue-beech, ironwood, musclewood and muscle beech. It is native to eastern North America, from Mi ...

(''Carpinus caroliniana''),

flowering dogwood ''Cornus florida'', the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida ...

(''Cornus florida''), and oakleaf hydrangea (''Hydrangea quercifolia''). One survey near Charleston, SC, found red buckeye (''Aesculus pavia''), eastern redbud (''Cercis canadensis''), and

witch-hazel Witch-hazels or witch hazels (''Hamamelis'') are a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America ('' H. ovalis'', '' H. virginiana'', and '' H. vernalis''), and one each in Japan ('' H.&n ...

(''Hamamelis virginiana'') associated with nutmeg hickory. Nutmeg hickory is often found in association with native American campsites, often in close association with several other hickory species. This is especially evident at sites on the banks of the Alabama river near Selma where Nutmeg hickory, bitternut, pignut, and Mockernut are found in close association in mixed groves of hardwood.

Life history

Reproduction and early growth

The species is

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system comparable with gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy, and contras ...

and forms imperfect flowers. Both male and female flowers are found on the current year's growth. The male flowers are long-stalked

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind- pollinated ( anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in '' Salix''). It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arra ...

s, developing at the shoot base. The female flowers are in short spikes on peduncles at the end of the shoot. Flowering occurs from April to May, shortly after the leaves have started to open. Specifies of pollen production, dissemination and pollination are not known. The sweet, edible nut matures from September to October of the same year and falls between September and December. Its ellipsoidal shell is thick and hard. Seed production starts when the trees are about 30 years old, and optimum seed-bearing age is 50 to 125 years. Good seed crops are produced every 2 to 3 years. As many as 70 liters (2 bu) can be produced by an open-grown tree. Seeds are disseminated by various methods, including squirrels and water. The seeds of this species germinate from late April to early June. Germination is

hypogeal Hypogeal, hypogean, hypogeic and hypogeous (; ) are biological terms describing an organism's activity below the soil surface. In botany, a seed is described as showing hypogeal germination when the cotyledons of the germinating seed remain no ...

. Burial of seeds by squirrels seems to be important, but it is not necessary for the successful establishment of seedlings. Specific information on the vegetative reproduction of nutmeg hickory is not available. Like other hickories, it probably sprouts readily from small stumps, injured or top-killed seedlings and saplings, and from roots. Large stumps do not readily sprout, hence the larger the stump, the more likely that it will reproduce only by root suckers.

Sapling and pole stages to maturity

Nutmeg hickory is a medium-sized tree with a tall, straight trunk and stout, slightly spreading branches that form a narrow and rather open crown. It can attain heights of and a diameter of . Although the pecan hickories (which include nutmeg hickory) grow more rapidly than the true hickories, specific information on the growth rate of nutmeg hickory is lacking. The pecan hickories, in turn, grow more slowly than most other bottom-land hardwoods. The average 10-year diameter increase for hickories in natural, unmanaged stands in the northeast Louisiana delta was in the 15- to 30-cm (6- to 12-in) diameter class; in the 33- to 48-cm (13- to 19-in) diameter class; and in the 51- to 71-cm (20- to 28-in) diameter class. Pure stands of nutmeg hickory probably do not exist, and no volume figures are available. Logs and lumber from merchantable nutmeg hickory are sold mixed with other hickories. Rooting Habit- Nutmeg hickory has a strongly developed taproot, especially on well-drained soil. Seedlings of hickory quickly develop a heavy taproot and fine lateral roots. During the pole stage, a robust, spreading lateral root system is developed. Nutmeg hickory is classed as intolerant of shade. It is intolerant as a mature tree, but tolerant in the seedling and sapling stage during which it may survive for a long time in the understory and then respond to release. Any partial cutting system that removes larger, faster-growing competition encourages nutmeg hickory. Fire damages hickory of all ages. A light burn kills the tops of seedlings and saplings; a more intense fire wounds larger trees and provides entry for butt-rotting fungi. Several insects attack hickory but rarely become epidemic. The forest tent caterpillar (''Malacosoma disstria''), walnut caterpillar (''Datana integerrima''), and walkingstick (''Diapheromera femorata'') may defoliate individual trees or limbs. Sucking insects, including aphids ('' Monellia'' spp.), feed on the underside of leaves, causing them to curl and drop prematurely. The twig girdler (''Oncideres cingulata'') may seriously prune seedlings and even large trees by girdling the terminal and branches. The hickory bark beetle (''Scolytus quadrispinosus'') can be troublesome during dry years and periods of stress. Ambrosia beetles (''

Platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypi ...

'' spp. and '' Xyleborus'' spp.) and powderpost beetles ('' Lyctus'' spp. and '' Xylobiops basilaris'') often cause economic damage to logs and lumber during storage and air-drying. No important diseases of hickory other than a number of wood rots have been reported. Bird peck defect, caused by the yellow-bellied sapsucker, is common and serious in nutmeg hickory.

Special uses

The nuts of nutmeg hickory are relished by squirrels, which begin cutting them while they are still green. Other rodents and wildlife also eat the nuts. The species is too rare over most of its range to be of major economic importance. The wood of this pecan hickory is slightly inferior in strength and toughness to that of the true or upland hickories, but owing to the small volumes involved and difficulty of distinguishing it from the true hickories, nutmeg hickory is not separated from them during logging.

Genetics

Nutmeg hickory is a 32-chromosome species that readily hybridizes with other hickory species and was hybridized with pecan by Clinton Graves. Traits such as thin husks with suture wings typical of ''Apocarya'' combined with leaf, stem, and bud traits typical of ''Carya'' place this species intermediate between the two groups or

section Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

s of genus ''Carya''.

Gallery

File:Carya myristiciformis bud.jpg, Buds File:Carya myristiciformis (Nutmeg Hickory) (34033288881).jpg, Buds File:Carya myristiciformis female flower.jpg, Female flower File:Carya myristiciformis.jpg, Catkins of male flowers and emerging leaves File:Carya myristiciformis (Nutmeg Hickory) (36024925876).jpg, Maturing fruit

References

External links

''Carya myristiciformis'' images at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University Plant Image Database
* Halloran, Sean
"Collaborating in the Coastal Southeast: A Multi-Institution Expedition along the Coasts of North and South Carolina."
''Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University'' website, 31 October 2017. Accessed 21 May 2020. {{Taxonbar, from=Q5047669 myristiciformis Edible nuts and seeds Crops originating from the United States Trees of Northern America