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Carya pallida
Also called Pale Hickory, Pallid Hickory
Sand hickory is a native North American hardwood tree in the walnut family, reaching 9 to 24 m, that grows in rocky or sandy, dry oak-hickory forests. The key to growing it is its deep taproot, which makes transplanting difficult, so young trees need careful handling.
Carya pallida, sand hickory, or pale hickory is a species of hickory native to the southeastern United States. It is a perennial, dicotyledonous plant which prefers rocky or sandy habitats. The sand hickory can reach heights of up to 30m, but its typical height is between 9-24m. In an open area, Carya crowns are usually towering and slim. The sand hickory nut is edible and consumed by various organisms.
Carya spp. are more likely to contain rare earth elements (REE) or metallomes in their cells than other genera. They have been found to contain Scandium, Lanthanum, Gadolinium, and other minerals. Currently, the role of the REE is unknown. Horticulturists speculate that they could aid in disease resistance, enzyme activities, ion transportation or other chemical functions.
Carya pallida is a tetraploid species along with C. floridana, C. glabra, C. texana, and C. tomentosa. Carya spp. may be divided into three groups: 16, 24, and 32-chromosomal counts.
The sand hickory has been recorded in most southeastern states. Its range extends from Delaware and to the west of Missouri. Carya pallida has not been recorded in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Ohio. Rarely, it can be found in southwestern Indiana, and it is uncommon in Maryland. Population decline has been reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Missouri. Sand hickory is also prominent in dry oak-hickory forests. Specifically, it can be often found alongside longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and scrub oak (Quercus marilandica). Hybridization with pignut hickory (Carya glabra) has been reported.
Water hickory · Pignut hickory · Pecan · Shellbark hickory · Nutmeg hickory · Red hickory · Shagbark hickory · Black hickory · Mockernut hickory · Hickory
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Carya pallida by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
