Carya ovata
Shagbark hickory

Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) has a widespread native distribution in eastern North America. This deciduous tree is monoecious, wind pollinated, and primarily found on rich, well-drained soils in mixed hardwood stands. The shagbark hickory is important in North American ecosystems as a food source, providing habitat, and for enhancing soil health. Its wood is valued for its strength and durability and is suitable for making furniture and tool handles and for smoking meats. Due to its large size and slow growth, the species is less commonly used for commercial purposes than other hardwoods. Shagbark hickory is not native in Europe and is limited to cultivation in gardens and parks as an ornamental tree.

in situ genetic conservation unit
ex situ genetic conservation unit
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Acknowledgements

This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)


Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007

The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:

Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
 

Status of Carya ovata conservation in Europe

Shagbark hickory shows significant genetic diversity but weak genetic structuring that is uniform across latitudes in the eastern USA with only very northern or southern populations showing reduced genetic variety (Bemmels and Dick, 2017). Genetic diversity between populations is low and there is little variation among populations. This may be because high gene flow in the species has homogenized the population, eroding historical genetic signatures, which is typical for species with capacity for long-distance pollen-mediated gene flow (Bemmels and Dick, 2017).

A Texan population was found to be genetically distinct from other North American populations, possibly because the population originated from a different glacial refugia or because geographic barriers limited gene flow (Bemmels and Dick, 2017). Populations of shagbark hickory in Mexico were genetically different from populations in the USA because of geographic isolation (Wang et al., 2022). There is little genetic information on populations in Europe.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Cultivation and human intervention

The nuts are edible and flavourful, but the tree is not widely cultivated. There has been some research on shagbark hickory genetic variation in fruit and flower production. The selection of shagbark hickory for fruit production may have affected the genetic variation of the species. Hybridization in the species has also taken place, with hybrids possessing a wide genetic diversity (Wang et al., 2022). These hybrids may have some use within domestic populations and agriculture for fruit production.

Glacial biogeography evolution

Shagbark hickory was widely distributed during the last glacial maximum in both South and North America (Bemmels and Dick, 2017). During past ice ages this species experienced shifts in distribution due to climate changes and advancing glaciers, potentially leading to population isolation and genetic divergence.

The tree's survival in specific refugial areas, where more favourable environmental conditions persisted, allowed it to expand is distribution as glaciers receded. These refugial areas may have played a crucial role in maintaining genetic diversity within shagbark hickory populations.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

No available information.

 

The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.

Genetic Characterisation of Carya ovata and its GCUs

Availability of FRM

FOREMATIS

Contacts of experts

NA

Further reading

Paź, S., Czapiewska, N., Dyderski, M.K., and Jagodziński, A.M. 2018. Assessment of Carya ovata (Mill.) K. Koch introduction to the potential oak-hornbeam forest habitat in the Czerniejewo Forest District. Sylwan, 162(1): 41–48.

References

Bemmels, J.B. and Dick, C.W. 2017. Genomic evidence of a widespread southern distribution during the last glacial maximum for two eastern North American hickory species. Journal of Biogeography, 45(8): 1739–1750.

Wang, X., Chatwin, W., Hilton, A., and Kubenka, K. 2022. Genetic diversity revealed by microsatellites in genus Carya. Forests, 13(2): 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020188