Leaf guide › Compound leaves
Shagbark hickory
Carya ovata
Golden yellow compound leaves on a tree with bark that peels in long strips.
- Fall color
- YellowBronze
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 8–14 in. long overall
- Found in
- Midwest, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, New England & New York
How to recognize it
- Compound leaf with five leaflets (sometimes seven).
- The top three leaflets are much larger than the bottom pair.
- Finely toothed edges.
- Bark peels away in long, curling strips.
Where to find it
Look for it in oak-hickory forests, on slopes and in river bottoms, and in old fields and pastures. The shaggy, peeling bark gives it away, even from the road.
Where you’ll see it this fall
Shagbark hickory is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Alabama: Mentone (Oct 29), Birmingham (Nov 5)
Arkansas: Mount Magazine (Oct 24), Eureka Springs (Oct 28), Buffalo National River (Oct 30), Petit Jean State Park (Nov 1), Hot Springs (Nov 3)
Connecticut: Litchfield (Oct 18), Hartford (Oct 23)
Georgia: Helen (Oct 30), Atlanta (Nov 2)
Illinois: Galena (Oct 16), Chicago (Oct 22)
Indiana: Indianapolis (Oct 27), Nashville (Oct 28)
Iowa: Decorah (Oct 11), Des Moines (Oct 19)
Kentucky: Lexington (Oct 28), Red River Gorge (Oct 28), Louisville (Oct 30)
Massachusetts: Worcester (Oct 19), Natick (Oct 22), Wellesley (Oct 22), Milton (Oct 24), Boston (Oct 24)
Missouri: Kansas City (Oct 27), St. Louis (Oct 30), Branson (Oct 31)
New Hampshire: Portsmouth (Oct 21)
New Jersey: Delaware Water Gap (Oct 24)
New York: Bear Mountain (Oct 23)
North Carolina: Highlands (Oct 18), Blowing Rock (Oct 19), Boone (Oct 20), Asheville (Oct 26), Charlotte (Nov 2), Raleigh (Nov 3)
Ohio: Columbus (Oct 27), Hocking Hills (Oct 27), Cincinnati (Oct 29)
Pennsylvania: Wellsboro (Oct 16), State College (Oct 21), Pittsburgh (Oct 24), Jim Thorpe (Oct 24), Ohiopyle (Oct 25)
Rhode Island: Providence (Oct 24)
South Carolina: Greenville (Nov 1)
Tennessee: Cades Cove (Oct 28), Gatlinburg (Oct 30), Pigeon Forge (Oct 31), Knoxville (Oct 31), Nashville (Nov 2), Chattanooga (Nov 2), Memphis (Nov 4)
Virginia: Skyland (Oct 15), Blacksburg (Oct 24), Roanoke (Oct 29), Charlottesville (Oct 30), Richmond (Nov 2)
West Virginia: Fayetteville (Oct 24)
Easy to confuse with
White ash
Leaves grow in pairs, and the leaflets are all about the same size.
Black walnut
Fifteen to twenty-three narrow leaflets, and it turns yellow and drops early.
Worth knowing
Shagbark hickory nuts are sweet and prized by squirrels and people alike. Hickory wood is one of the strongest native hardwoods. The nuts ripen in fall inside a thick green husk that splits into four sections.
Common questions
What color does shagbark hickory turn in fall?
Shagbark hickory turns golden yellow, often fading to a warm golden brown.
When does shagbark hickory change color?
Around the middle of the local season, often at about the same time as the maples.
How can you tell shagbark hickory from white ash?
White ash: Leaves grow in pairs, and the leaflets are all about the same size. Shagbark hickory: Compound leaf with five leaflets (sometimes seven).
Where does shagbark hickory grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in the Midwest, the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England & New York.
See where the color is peaking today.
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