Carya. "No less than five species of Hickory rear their stately forms in close proximity to Niagara Falls. The three edible species are (Carya alba, tomentosa, and microcarpa), while the Broom Hickory (Carya porcina) [=C. glabra] and the Bitter-nut Hickory (Carya amara) [=C. cordiformis] have fruit that are seldom eaten except by boys when in extremity." Macoun (1893). Carya laciniosa (Michx.f.) Loud., or the Big Shell-bark Hickory, rare in the Niagara Frontier Region (Zander & Pierce, 1979), has been reported upriver from the falls in sandy soil at the mouth of Miller's Creek in Ontario, where the species is also rare (Fox & Soper, 1954).

Carya cordiformis (Wang.) K.Koch. BITTERNUT HICKORY. (As C. amara Nutt.), "Goat Island. In the village near the River. Below Lewiston," Day (1888). (As C. amara), Cameron (1895). (As C. amara), "in the vicinity of the Falls," Day (1901). Ontario: Queenston, John Macoun, June 17, 1891 (CAN); Wm. Scott, June 6, 1896 (TRT); Queenston Heights, Wm. Scott, June 29, 1896 (CAN); the Glen, Niag. R., C. H. Armstrong, July 2, 1898 (TRT); Niagara Falls, July 3, 1896, Wm. Scott (TRT), Heimburger (1955). Ontario: "the Glen, Niagara River, July 2, 1898, C. H. Armstrong (TRT)," Fox & Soper (1954). "... in the area," Hamilton (1943). "Dufferin Islands," sight record, Yaki (1970).

New York: Second of the Three Sisters, single sapling, Eckel, July 13, 1988 (BUF); wooded crest, extreme west end of Goat Island, Eckel & Eckel, July 20, 1988 (BUF); Goat Island on the Niagara R., cluster of native and horticultural trees by central maintenance (stone) building, end of vehicular bridge. P. M. Eckel Oct. 2, 2001(BUF); Buckhorn Island, northwestern woods, with C. ovata, C. laciniosa, Quercus macrocarpa, Qu. rubra, Qu. palustris, Acer rubrum woods. This hickory least frequent, Eckel, Oct. 21, 1997 (BUF).

Ontario: Niagara Glen, Dell, July, 1972 (NFO); Navy Island, central woods, Quercus rubra, Q. palustris, Carya ovata, C. laciniosa, infrequent, nuts also found floating in water, Eckel, Sept. 21, 1998 (BUF).

Carya glabra (Mill.) Sweet. PIGNUT HICKORY. Ontario: (as C. porcina) Ontario: "Not uncommon on the Niagara peninsula, where large trees are quite frequent in the low woods extending out form the base of Queenston Heights; also abundant in Wesley Park, Niagara Falls, and at many points along Lake Erie to Amherstburgh and north to Windsor and Sarnia," Macoun (1886). (As C. porcina Nutt.), "Queenston Heights and Niagara Falls" (Macoun), Day (1888). Ontario, Niagara Park System (as C. porcina), Cameron (1895). (As C. porcina), "in the vicinity of the Falls," Day (1901). "Also in limestone areas, as along the gorge of the Niagara River and the Niagara escarpment," Zenkert (1934). Ontario: "... limestone ridge along top of river gorge, on Niagara R., between Queenston and Niagara Falls, J. H. Soper & McCallum (2283), July 30, 1940 (DAO); Hydro Woods, L. E. Sijer (NFO), seen by J. H. Soper, 1953, Heimburger (1955). "... in the area, Hamilton (1943). Ontario: "limestone ridge long top of river gorge, Niagara River between Queenston and Niagara Falls, July 30, 1940, Soper & McCallum 2283 (DAO)," Fox & Soper (1954). Crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole and Whirlpool Steps, with Quercus rubra, Qu. alba, Tilia Americana, Carya glabra, C. ovalis, Eckel (Nov. 7 2004).

New York: single tree in remnant forest, crest of gorge just before Lewiston, Eckel, June 17, 1988 (BUF); Lewiston:crest of the Niagara River gorge, upriver from overpass at Devil's Hole State Park,crest edge. Bark rather tight. + nuts.P. M. Eckel s.n. Sept. 11, 1987 (BUF);Lewiston: bluffs overlooking the Niagara River, N end,old growth forest, dappled light, strong wind Qercus alba, Q.rubra, Tilia, dry, fine-grain,soil Sanicula marilandica, Taenidia integerr.P. M. Eckel 060904 June 9, 1995 (PME); crest of Niagara River gorge twn Devil's Hole St. Park and Whirlpool Steps. Sunny, dry, Quercus alba, Qu. rubra, Ostrya, Prunus serotina,Tilia woods; dolomite substrate, thin soils.P. M. Eckel 92304 Sept. 23, 1995 (PME).

Ontario: "NPC park grounds," Queen Victoria Park, Cameron, [ca.1890] (NFO).

Range: swOnt. Status: Rare in Ontario, Argus & White (1977). A post-1964 collection of this tree was made in the Niagara area of Ontario, and "One or two specimens from the Niagara Peninsula had relatively smooth shiny husks, but they were collected too early for dehiscence to have commenced and could not be positively identified as C. glabra," (Ball & Ford, in Argus, et al., 1987).

On a walk along the crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole State Park and Whirlpool (DeVeaux) steps on September 23, it was found that a striking number of trees of Carya glabra were found as codominants with Quercus alba and Quercus rubra. These were nearly equally divided between Carya glabra-type trees and those of Carya ovalis. Carya ovata, the usual hickory found along the Niagara River at Beaver Island State Park and Buckhorn Island State Park, was in the minority along the crest.

Carya laciniosa (Michx. f.) Loud. BIG SHELL-BARK. New York: Buckhorn Island, NW woods section near I 90. VOUCHER drought year, odd nuts, "bladdery"; fuzzy surface, when dry become very small, fragrant, Eckel, Sept. 10, 1999 (BUF).

Ontario: Navy Island, central woods, Quercus rubra, Q. palustris, Carya ovata, 13"dbh; weakly peeling, Eckel, Sept. 21, 1998 (BUF).

Note that it is possibly this species rather than Carya tomentosa that is reported as common about the falls of Niagara.

Carya ovalis (Wang.) Sarg. RED HICKORY, SWEET PIGNUT. Woods near Queenston Heights, W. C. McCalla, May, Oct., 1897, Heimburger (1955). "... of the area, Hamilton (1943). Ontario: "woods near Queenston Mountain, May 26, Aug. 2 & Oct., 1897, W. C. McCalla (TRT) ... Oak Grove, one mile south of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Aug. 20, 1949, A. E. Straby (OAC).... dry sandy soil southwest of Queenston, July 25, 1941, J. H. Soper 2772 (TRT)" Fox & Soper (1954). Crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole and Whirlpool Steps, with Quercus rubra, Qu. alba, Tilia Americana, Carya glabra, C. ovalis, Eckel (Nov. 7 2004).

Ball and Ford (in Argus, et al. 1987) include Carya ovalis taxonomically with C. glabra (Mill.) Sweet, and presumably both are rare in Canada. See their note at C. glabra above.

Carya ovata (Mill.) K.Koch. SHAGBARK HICKORY. Ontario: Queenston, Joohn Macoun, June 16, 1884 (CAN); Queenston Heights, Wm. Scott, May 24, 1895 (TRT); Wm. C. McCalla at Queenston Heights, May 26, Aug. 2 & Oct.; 1897 (CAN); Niagara Falls, Wm. Scott, July 5, 1898 (TRT); Niagara, Wm. Scott, July 3, 1897 (CAN), Heimburger (1955). Parks, Ontario, Hamilton (1943). Ontario: "Niagara Falls, July 5, 1898, Wm. Scott (TRT)," Fox & Soper (1954). "Dufferin Islands," sight record, Yaki (1970). Ont.: Navy Island, western side, with Quercus macrocarpa, Q. rubra, Eckel (2003). Crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole and Whirlpool Steps, with Quercus rubra, Qu. alba, Tilia Americana, Carya glabra, C. ovalis, Eckel (Nov. 7 2004).

New York: Lewiston:Small wet woods near Niagara University: Power Authority of NY property, Witmder Rd. ca. 1 mile N of I90. Bark exfoliating in plates. P.M.Eckel 2180187 Sept. 12, 1986(BUF); Lewiston: east of Niagara University, jct. Rte NY31 & University Rd., small Quercus velutina-Qu. palustris woods remnant, partly Power Authority property, ca. 1.5 miles E of Niagara R. P. M. Eckel s.n. June 1, 1988 (BUF); Lewiston: crest of the Niagara River gorge, top of Whirlpool (DeVeaux) steps, young tree.P. M. Eckel s.n. Sept. 5, 1988 (BUF); Lewiston: crest of the Niagara River gorge, bottom of Whirlpool (DeVeaux) steps, young tree. Bark not furrowed. P. M. Eckel s.n. Sept. 5, 1988 (BUF); Lewiston: Scovell's Knoll (Artpark) Village of Lewiston elevation near Niagara River, dense, rich, dry woods. Second specimen (with fruit). P. M. Eckel s.n. June 16, 1988 (BUF); Lewiston: village of Lewiston, wooded bluffs of the Niagara Escarpment at the Niagara River gorge overlooking village, woods remnant of native vegetation above spoil area (Artpark parking)P. M. Eckel s.n. May 14, 2001 (BUF); Niagara City of Niagara Falls. trees along median strip of Robert Moses Pkwy twn Whirlpool and DeVeaux St. Parks. Quercus muhlenbergii, Q. rubra with them.P. M. Eckel s.n. Sept. 26, 2001 (BUF).

Erie Co.: Buckhorn Island State Park (north end Grand Island): East-West River Parkway, spring moist-fall dry woods, south side of the road. Well preserved mixed hardwood forest with nut-trees, Quercus palustris, C. laciniosa, Quercus palustris. P. M. Eckel July 25, 2004 (MO).

Ontario: Navy Island, central woods, Quercus rubra, Q. palustris, Carya laciniosa, Eckel, Sept. 21, 1998 (BUF).

Carya tomentosa (Poir.) Nutt. MOCKERNUT or SHELL-BARK HICKORY. Ontario: (as C. alba) "On the Niagara peninsula, especially at Queenston Heights and the Falls, it constitutes the greater part of the forest, and along Lake Erie west other hickories, attains its largest size after rising with a straight stem to 80 feet and generally overtopping the other trees," Macoun (1886). Ontario: (as C. tomentosa) "Rather sparingly distributed amongst the other hickories in the Niagara peninsula from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, and extending westward to Windsor ...," Macoun (1886). "'Amongst other hickories in the Niagara peninsula' (Macoun)," Day (1888). (As C. alba) N.Y.: "Niagara Falls and Lewiston," Field Club, 1888. Goat Island. Near DeVeaux College. 'At Queenston Heights and the Falls it constitutes the greater part of the forest' (Macoun)," Day (1888). Ontario, Queen Victoria Park (as Carya alba), Panton (1890). Ontario: "in close proximity to Niagara Falls," Macoun, 1893. Ontario, Niagara Park System (and as C. alba), Cameron (1895). "Vicinity of Niagara," Day (1901). Parks, Ontario, Hamilton (1943).

Listed as rare in the Niagara Frontier Region by Zander and Pierce (1979). "The early settlers in the vicinity of Niagara Falls extracted a black dye by boiling small pieces of bark in a vinegar solution," Elias (1980). See note under Carya laciniosa.

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