Grafted Hickory Cultivars
Hickories are incredible, stately, beneficient trees. Hickory nuts are among the best tasting nuts in the world. These grafted cultivars are chosen for nut size, ease of cracking, and productivity.
Grafted hickories are potted, and will ship in 14” x 4” tree pots.
Shellbark
Merle's Best – Merle Winters best shellbark selection from Pinkneyville, Illinois. Large nut, high productivity, weevil-resistance, and easy cracking. Great all-around shellbark.
Scholl – selection from John "Bud" Luers, Ohio. Medium-large nut, high productivity, weevil-resistance, and easy cracking, excellent flavor and storage. Great all-around shellbark.
Shagbark
Grainger – the quintessential shagbark hickory selection. From John Hershey, Grainger county TN, 1936. Large shagbark, thin shells, weevil-resistant, high productivity, excellent cracking qualities.
Lorane – also a John Hershey introduction, circa '50s-'60s. Possibly came to Hershey by Oscar Hoerner, a PA nut grower who in turned received the variety from a local farmer who named the tree after his wife. It is believed to be a seedling of Grainger. Looks the same with all the same traits as Grainger, but leaves are darker green with thicker canopy, season is later, and kernel is more plump.
Porter – from Mrs. Williams of Mackeyville PA, 1960. Large shagbark with excellent cracking qualities, productivity, and some weevil-resistance.
Conowingo – my selection from Lancaster county, PA 2020. Large shagbark with very thin shell and excellent cracking qualities. Self-pollinating. Weevil-resistance and productivity remain to be evaluated.
Sinking Fork – from Lucky Pittman, Hopkinsville KY. A quality shagbark with high productivity, good crackability, and storage.
Hybrid
Hoagland hican – a new introduction from Fred Blankenship, Cecilia KY 2022. Nut looks like a beautiful cross between shellbark, shagbark, and pecan. Resembles a shellbark but with thin husks and shell and striping like pecan, but otherwise with flavor and appearance of shellbark or a large shagbark.
Etter hican – introduced by Fayette Etter, Franklin County PA circa late '50s. Probably a cross between Weschcke and McAllister. Nut is large and shells very thin with shallow lobes – nut kernel practically falls out. A great hican.
Doghouse – selection from Richard Dravis, Bedford County PA. Apparently a shagbark x shellbark hybrid. Nut like a large shagbark or small shellbark, very plump and round, productivity high, flavor excellent.
79-3-4 – from the breeding work of Bill Thielenhaus, Kansas. A real large, heavy hican nut.