Shagbark Hickory is fairly common, especially in bottomlands. It's much more abundant than the other shaggy-barked hickories, the uncommon Carolina Shagbark Hickory (C. carolinae-septentrionalis) and very rare Shellbark Hickory (C. laciniosa). Bark on most trees is distinctively shaggy, but the bark of young trees and very large trees is not.
Shagbark can be told from Shellbark by its five leaflets (7-9 for Shellbark) and from Carolina Shagbark by its relatively thick tan-gray twigs (young twigs of Carolina Shagbark are thin and blackish) and habitat difference (Carolina Shagbark grows in uplands).
The terminal buds are large, especially when they're about to break bud.
Durham Co., NC 4/9/05.
Just-opened buds.
Durham Co., NC 4/9/05.
