| General Description | Medium to large deciduous tree with fine hairs covering the underside of the leaf and twigs. Grand medium to light green leaves transition to a bright golden-yellow in the autumn. Large fruit when ripened is edible, palatable, and sweet to the taste. |
| ID Characteristic | Large reddish-brown fruit with a thick husk compared to other hickories. Alternate compound leaves containing 5-9 leaflets (usually 7-9) which are a medium to light green above, pale medium to light green and fuzzy on the underside. The leaves are fragrant when broken. The bark is dark grey in colour and rough textured with interlocking channels that create a diamond or net like pattern. The branches begin approximately half-way up the tree’s overall height. |
| Shape | Upright, slender tree with a dense oblong crown and a strong central leader. The lower half of the trunk is fairly bare and free of branches. |
| Landscape | The Mockernut Hickory will provide plenty of shade and autumn colour if you have a property large enough to handle its height and spread. Nuts are flavoured by various small to large mammals, some of which include; squirrels, raccoon, and black bears. Wood is dense, flexible and aromatic when burned and is used for manufacturing items such as furniture and tool handles. |
| Propagation | Propagated naturally through dissemination and commercially from seed. The dormancy of seeds can be altered by stratification but can require up to 150 days at 1-4 °C. Dried seeds stored for more than one year have required stratification for 30-60 days. When planted in a well-drained medium or soil 50 to 75% of fresh clean seed may germinate. Seedlings are very slow growing, taking 4 years to reach 32 cm in height. |
| Cultivation | The Mockernut grows best in full sun to partial shade and in moist, sandy soils rich in humus. The tree is intolerant to full shade and water saturated soils. The Mockernut requires an adequate amount of space to reach its full potential. In its natural habitat, pH levels range between 5.7 and 7. |
| Pests | Most known detrimental pest is the hickory bark beetle which takes advantage in times of stress such as drought. The beetle will borough into the wood, disrupting the vascular system causing a decline and ultimately death. Another notable pest is the pecan weevil (occurring in autumn when the fruit of the Mockernut has ripened) which will burrow through the shell and eat the nut. Non-detrimental diseases include; powdery mildew and leaf blotch. |
| Notable Specimens | The Morton Arboretum, Lisle Illinois, United States. |
| Habitat | Typically found growing in well drained soils on rocky slopes and ridges with plenty of sun exposure primarily in the eastern half of the United States. Rarely found in lowlands and continuously saturated soils. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Immature stems are tomentose and reddish-brown in colour. The bark of a young tree is smooth, silver-grey and thin developing shallow channels and flattened ridges that overlap creating a diamond pattern and change to a rougher texture when mature. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Buds are reddish-brown with overlapping scales, ovate-shaped, scaly, and tomentose. Flower buds have similar characteristics to leaf buds but are slightly larger. Terminal buds are larger than most hickories measuring up to 2.5 cm in length. |
| Leaf Description | Compound leaf blade contains 5-9 lanceolate leaflets (usually 7-9) with finely serrate leaf margins and measures 15 cm to 30.5 cm in length. Leaflet venation is pinnate, leaf surfaces are shiny medium to light green, while the underside is paler medium to light green and tomentose. |
| Flower Description | Mockernut is monoecious with male and female flowers occurring on the same plant, which bloom from April to May. Flowers are non-showy and are a muted yellow-green colour. The male flowers appear in groupings of 3 catkins measuring approximately 15 cm and the female flowers in short spikes in groupings of 3-5. |
| Fruit Description | Fruit is globose approximately 2.5 cm to 9 cm in length and is covered with a dehiscent green husk up to 4 mm thick. Endocarp is reddish-brown, 4 sided, hard and thicker than most hickories measuring up to 6 mm. Seed, also reddish-brown, small, eatable and palatable. Fruit occurs annually when the plant is mature and is solitary or arranged in groups of 2–3. |
| Colour Description | Leaves are medium to light green on the surface and a pale medium to light green on the underside. Flowers are a muted yellow-green from April to May and the autumn leaf colour is a showy golden-yellow. When mature, the bark is dark grey and the fruit is light green with a reddish-brown nut. |
| Texture Description | Bark texture is course and the leaves are glabrous on top with a fuzzy underside. |