How to Identify a Hickory Tree Leaf

Most of the approximately 20 known species of hickory tree are native to and can be found in the United states. In fact, along with the oak tree, the hickory is the most populous tree in the hardwood forests of North America. A hickory tree is easily identified by its relatively thin trunk, shaggy brown bark and spreading canopy. If you find a few leaves by themselves, you can identify whether or not they belong to a hickory by knowing a few of their characteristics.

Observe the leaves' growth pattern. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon a complete hickory leaf, identification will be easier. Hickory leaves are compound leaves. Each leaflet (or individual leaf) grows out of a central stem (called a rachis). The central and largest leaflet grows upward. Just below it, a pair of slightly smaller leaflets grow at roughly 45-degree angles to the central leaf. Roughly an inch below the three upward-facing leaflets may be one or more pairs of smaller leaflets at roughly right angles to the central stem. If the compound leaf is found intact, it will always have an odd number of leaflets.

Observe the leaves' color. In spring and summer, hickory leaves are an olive green, with a light sheen (not always present depending on the time of year and the condition of the leaf). The underside of the leaf is duller and slightly lighter in color and may be covered in small "hairs." In fall, the leaves turn yellow or orange.

Measure the leaf. A hickory tree's leaf can be anywhere from 8 to 22 inches long. Individual leaflets are generally between 2 and 10 inches long. Their size varies with age and from species to species.

Observe the leaf's shape. Hickory leaves are elongated ovals that are widest in the middle and taper to a point at each end. Most hickory leaves have relatively smooth edges. The shagbark and water hickory leaves, however, have serrated edges.