Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Well-suited

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 40 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

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Arizona Mountains forests

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Atlantic coastal pine barrens

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Blue Mountains forests

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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

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Central Tallgrass prairie

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Chilean Matorral

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What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Spacing

360"

Habit

Large open oval-to-rounded long-lived deciduous canopy hickory

Care tips

•

Site it permanently and plant young — the deep taproot makes Carya glabra difficult to transplant once established.

•

Be patient: growth is slow (about 1 foot per year) and meaningful nut crops take years to arrive.

•

Give it a large property or woodland edge; the hard nut and leaf-litter drop is a poor fit for a small tidy yard.

Lifecycle

Planting

Plant in spring or fall in moist to dry, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Site it permanently — per NC State the deep taproot makes Carya glabra slow and difficult to transplant. Choose a large property or woodland edge rather than a tidy small yard, because it drops hard nuts and leaf litter.

Transplanting

Move only at the smallest nursery sizes (1-3 gallon) and be patient; the deep taproot means older or balled stock rarely re-establishes cleanly. Better still, plant a young tree and leave it in place.

Early growth

Water deeply through the first 3-5 seasons while the taproot develops. Growth is slow — expect about 1 foot per year. Mulch without piling against the trunk and protect from deer browse early.

Maturity

Mature trees reach 60-80 feet tall with a 25-40 foot oval-to-rounded crown per NC State. Nuts begin appearing in the teens-to-twenties and crop more heavily as the tree ages; lifespan commonly exceeds 200 years.

Propagation

Nuts germinate after cold, moist stratification. Sow fresh in fall in protected ground or stratify through winter for spring sowing; the long taproot makes container culture awkward beyond 1-2 gallon sizes.

Pollination

Wind-pollinated

Monoecious — drooping greenish male catkins and small female flowers occur on the same tree. Wind-pollinated, so no insect pollinators are needed for nut set; planting near other hickories can improve cropping.

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Moth

Luna moth (Actias luna)

Carya is a documented larval host for the luna moth (Actias luna), one of the keystone hickory-feeding silk moths.

Larval host

Moth

Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis)

Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on Carya foliage; hickories are among Tallamy's keystone Lepidoptera-host genera.

Larval host

Moth

Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

Seed forage

Mammal

Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Squirrels and other mammals gnaw open and cache the hard pignuts, dispersing the seed in the process.

For people

Edible with preparation

The 'pignut' is named for being historically fed to pigs: the nuts are typically bitter and astringent. Some trees bear sweeter kernels, but most need selection or processing to be palatable, so in practice they are wildlife food more than a human crop. Unlike its sweet-nut cousin shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), Carya glabra is edible only with effort.

Climate notes

•

NC State Extension lists Carya glabra for USDA hardiness zones 4a-9b; native to the dry uplands of the eastern United States, where it grows as a drought-tolerant, deep-taprooted hardwood.

•

Genuinely drought-tolerant once established and at home on dry, rocky, upland soils per NC State; tolerates heat across its broad zone range.

•

The deep taproot that makes it so drought-hardy is also why it is DIFFICULT TO TRANSPLANT — plant young, small stock and do not move it once sited.

•

Few serious diseases, but it drops hard nuts and heavy leaf litter; the strong, shock-resistant wood and litter load make it a large-property or woodland-edge tree, not a small tidy-yard tree.

In the designer

Growth over time

504-672" tall · 180-288" spread

Canopy fills toward mature 60-80 ft form; first meaningful nut crops appear. Trees are long-lived, often 200+ years.

Design roles: Structure · Focal point

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Pignut hickory

At a glance

Related products

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations