Hi All, I found this in my backyard. My property backs up into woodland and have a lot of oak trees and there is a black walnut tree near by. From my research it looks like a heartnut - which would be very coincidental as I was planting a heartnut tree when I found this… I didn’t think they were native which is why I am doubting it is a heartnut.
Any help would be appreciated !!
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No. That’s a hickory nut. Probably pignut, or mockernut.
Heartnuts look like this:
Excellent, thank you Lucky. Have you tried a hickory nut before? Looks like I’ll be foraging for this tree
Hickories are delicious, but shellbark and shagbark are the best.
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What @ampersand said…
I am a hickory affectionado. But…pignut and mockernut rarely fit in the ‘edible’ category, due to shell thickness and internal convolutions that trap nutmeats.
Even the worst shagbark or shellbark is orders of magnitude easier to crack & pick out than a pignut or mockernut. But imo, mockernut has the best flavor of any of the hickories. I got scions of the ‘Barnes’ mockernut selection this spring, and grafted onto both pecan & shagbark seedling understock…hope I live long enough to see it bear!
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