Shagbark Hickory
Central Park contains four hickory species, with the shagbark hickory being the most recognizable due to its gray bark that peels off in long strips. It bears nuts that are popular with squirrels and chipmunks. You can find the shagbark hickory between Wollman Rink and Driprock Arch.
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Leaves
Alternate, compound, 8-14 inches with 5 (rarely 7) ovate-lanceolate to obovate, sessile or nearly sessile (stalkless) leaflets -
Fruit
1.5-2.5 inches in diameter nuts, solitary or paired, brownish-white to pinkish-white, 4-ribbed with a reddish brown to nearly black readily dehiscent husk -
Flower
Small, green pistillate catkins that develop into thick-shelled nuts -
Bark
Gray, warping in large strips that are loose and curling at both ends, occasionally attracts bats behind the bark
