NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Carya aquatica

Scientific Name:	Carya aquatica
Genus:	Carya
Species Epithet:	aquatica
Common Name:	Water Hickory, Bitter Pecan
Plant Type	Tree
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Juglandaceae (Walnut Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	72-100 ft.
Light:	Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	April, May
Growing Area:	Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Swamp forests, where flooded during the winter months
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Compound
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Important for Wildlife
Landscape Value:	Not Assigned
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	It is considered important in cleansing drainage waters since the plants slow water flow during flooding, allowing sediments to fall out of the water column. This tree species is tolerant of wet soils but grows best on well draining soils near rivers and other water ways. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carya_aquatica
Male Catkins Water Hickory is common on the coast in swamp forests that are flooded in the winter. Looking much like a Pecan tree, it differs in having pubescent leaflets, a flattened nut, and, when mature, scaly bark. Jack Spruill, 5/26/11, Hampstead
Female Flower Buds Jack Spruill, Hampstead, 5/26/11
Nuts Husks are thin, 4-winged and split nearly to the base. The nut is bitter. Jack Spruill, Hampstead
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record