Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of hickory tree (Carya cordiformis) native to the eastern United States. It is characterized by leaves composed of 7 to 9 leaflets and produces nuts with a very thin shell that have an intensely bitter taste.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The bitternut hickory is easily identified by its distinctive yellow winter buds.
  • We found several bitternut hickory trees growing near the creek.
  • Unlike the pecan, the nut of the bitternut hickory is not considered edible by humans due to its extreme bitterness.

Advanced Usage

• The bitternut hickory is also sometimes referred to by its scientific name, , or colloquially as "swamp hickory" due to its common habitat in moist bottomlands.
• In forestry and ecology, the bitternut hickory is noted as an important component of the Eastern hardwood forest, providing food for wildlife, though the nuts are a last-resort food for many species because of their taste.

Variants and Related Words

• Bitternut: A common shortened form used to refer to the tree or, more specifically, its nut.
  • Squirrels will cache bitternuts but often don't retrieve them.
• Hickory: The broader genus () to which the bitternut hickory belongs, which includes other trees like shagbark hickory and pecan.
• : The formal botanical (Latin) name for the bitternut hickory.

Synonyms

• Swamp hickory: A synonym referencing its typical habitat.
• Bitternut: The shortened common name.

Related Terms (Context-Specific)

• Compound leaf: The type of leaf structure (a leaf composed of multiple leaflets) that characterizes the bitternut hickory.
• Hard mast: A forestry term for hard-shelled nuts and seeds, such as those produced by hickories, which are a crucial food source for forest animals.

Noun

1. hickory of the eastern United States having a leaves with 7 or 9 leaflets and thin-shelled very bitter nuts