Carya ovata is the hickory most people can name on sight, and it earns that recognition. The bark of a mature tree sheds in long, curved strips — sometimes a foot or more across — creating a shaggy, almost unkempt profile that is entirely its own. Native across eastern and central North America, it appears throughout the North Carolina Piedmont with occasional populations in the mountains and coast, growing 70 to 90 feet tall with a spread almost as generous, its canopy golden in October before leaves fall.

The commercially sold hickory nut comes largely from this species, sweet-fleshed and worth the effort to crack. Wildlife value is extraordinary: Luna moths and Hickory horndevils use it as a larval host, Banded hairstreak butterflies depend on it, and squirrels, turkeys, and black bears all compete for the fallen nuts. It adapts to sandy or clay loam and is drought tolerant once its deep taproot is established — which also makes transplanting large specimens impractical. Litter from leaves, husks, and fallen branches is real, so site it thoughtfully. For a large yard, park, or naturalized edge, shagbark hickory is one of the most ecologically generous trees a gardener can plant.