Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, with 7 to 9 serrate, lanceolate to obovate-lanceolate leaflets. The terminal leaflet is larger than the laterals. The leaf is 9 to 14 inches long, but may be longer in the understory. The rachis is stout and very pubescent.

Flower: Male flowers are drooping catkins, with 3 hanging from one stalk, 3 to 4 inches long. Female flowers in clusters of 2 to 5 near the tip of the twig. Appearing in April to May.

Fruit: Obovoid to ellipsoidal in shape, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. The husk is thick (although less thick than C. ovata) and dehiscent; 4-ribbed nut, sweet and edible. The fruit matures from September to October.

Twig: Stout and pubescent, the 3-lobed leaf scars are best described as a "monkey face". The terminal bud is very large, and the scales are deciduous, revealing a silky white bud.

Bark: Gray-brown close, with interlaced round-topped ridges and shallow furrows, not shaggy or exfoliating.

Form: A medium-sized tree with a straight stem and a rounded crown.

Copyright (c) 2000, 2001 Pee Dee Resource Conservation and Development Council.
This page was last updated on August 31, 2001.

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