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Description

Bloom Color: Yellow.
Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Rounded. Note. Sometimes misspelt as: Carya illinoiensis

Carya illinoinensis is a deciduous Tree growing to 50 m at a medium rate.
It is hardy to zone 5. It is in leaf from June to October, in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is monoecious and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light , medium and heavy soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Cultivation

Global Crop Management: Standard Other Systems: Strip intercrop Staple Crop: Oil
Landscape Uses:Aggressive surface roots possible. Prefers a deep moisture-retentive loam in a sunny sheltered position, requiring a good summer for best development. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 8.3. Trees are fairly fast growing. Trees do not grow very well in Britain, requiring hotter summers than are normally experienced here in order to fruit and fully ripen their wood. However, a tree at Cambridge botanical gardens was 20 metres tall in 1985. Trees are said to be hardy to about -12°c, the same report also says that they are hardy to zone 5, which would experience considerably lower temperatures than this. Trees are probably much hardier when grown in areas with hot summers. In the wild, trees grow best in areas where summer temperatures average 24 - 30°c and the humidity is high. Often cultivated for its edible seed, there are some named varieties. Trees come into bearing when about 20 years old, the best period of production being between the ages of 75 to 225 years old. Mature trees regularly give yields of 225 kilos, whilst yields of 450 kilos have been recorded. A number of cultivars have been developed in N. America that succeed quite far north in that country. These cultivars include:- 'Carlson 3'. Early maturing, it is being trialled in Canada. 'Devore'. An early fruiting form with small nuts that have an excellent flavour. 'Gibson'. Precocious, protandrous, the nuts are of medium size with a good flavour. 'Green Island'. Amongst the hardiest of cultivars, it has been selected for nut size, flavour and productivity. 'Mullahy'. Hardy, precocious and very productive, it has ripened in Ontario. Nuts are fairly large with an excellent flavour. 'Voiles 2'. Usually ripens as far north as Ontario and New York. The wind-blown pollen is a significant cause of hay fever in the Unitd States. This species is the State Tree of Texas. Plants are strongly tap-rooted and should be planted in their permanent positions as soon as possible. Sowing in situ would be the best method so long as the seed could be protected from mice. Trees are late coming into leaf and lose their leaves early in the autumn . During this time they cast a heavy shade. These factors combine to make the trees eminently suitable for a mixed woodland planting with shrubs and other trees beneath them. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Most species in this genus have quite a wide range of distribution and, in order to find trees more suited to this country, seed from the most appropriate provenances should be sought. Most trees growing in Britain at present tend to only produce good seed after hot summers. Trees are self-fertile but larger crops of better quality seeds are produced if cross-pollination takes place. Special Features:North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. Carbon Farming - Climate: cold temperate subtropical, tropical highlands. Humidity: humid. Cultivation: global crop. Management: standard. Other Systems: strip intercrop. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 9 through 1. .
At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 to 12 .
For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a standard with a non-suckering single trunk . The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down .

HabitatsRich moist soils of bottomlands
Habitatsespecially along the sides of streams.
HabitatsWoodland Garden Canopy
HabitatsWoodland Garden Canopy
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