The shellbark is the largest of our hickories, except the pecan, with a long, straight stem and a narrow crown. It is found in the east central United States and extends into southeast Iowa. It is usually found on deep, rich soils along river bottomlands. The tree is popular because of its large, sweet and highly edible nuts.

The leaves are pinnately compound, 15 to 22 inches long with 5, 7, or 9 shining dark green leaflets. The leaf stems often hang on the tree over winter.

The bark is grey, similar to the shagbark hickory, and is very rough breaking into horny plates and scaling from the tree. The twigs are orange- brown

Requires a period of cold stratification. It is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed should be kept moist (but not wet) prior to sowing and should be sown in a cold frame as soon as possible. Where possible, sow 1 or 2 seeds only in each deep pot and thin to the best seedling. If you need to transplant the seedlings, then do this as soon as they are large enough to handle, once more using deep pots to accommodate the tap root. Put the plants into their permanent positions as soon as possible, preferably in their first summer, and give them some protection from the cold for at least the first winter. Seed can also be sown in situ so long as protection is given from mice etc and the seed is given some protection from cold (a plastic bottle with the top and bottom removed and a wire mesh top fitted to keep the mice out is ideal)

Prefers a deep moisture-retentive loam in a sunny sheltered position, requiring a good summer for best development

Harvesting:

Hickory nuts vary considerably in size with the shellbark being consistently larger than the shagbark. The excellent sweet kernels of these two nuts places them in high demand by nut consumers everywhere. Unfortunately about the only supply comes mostly from native trees. The best nuts are generally produced by shagbark hickory trees. The shellbark nuts have thicker shells from which the nutmeats are not always easily extracted; however, improved selections of shellbark hickories produce nuts which compare favourably with the cracking qualities of the best shagbark nuts.

Gather hickory nuts as soon as they fall from the tree. Hull them and place nuts on screens to dry. Crack a couple of nuts every few days to check for dryness. When kernels are crisp, store nuts in their shells in a mesh bag. A cool, well-ventilated place where squirrels cannot get to them is best.

They store best if nut meats are extracted, placed in an air-tight container and frozen, because oils turn rancid more rapidly at higher temperatures. Frozen nuts may be kept for several years or longer without loss of quality. The next best way to store nuts is to shell them and keep them in air-tight containers in the refrigerator.

Unshelled nuts should be placed in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location such as a garage, shed or cool root cellar. Put them in mesh bags to promote good air circulation. Properly cured nuts may keep a year or longer in a cool place.

Walnut and Hickory nut kernels are easier to remove if they are soaked in water for 1 to 2 hours, drained and then held in a closed container such as a covered bowl or jar for 10 hours.