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; or for experimental purposes and historical value.

Shellbark

• Bullnut – a Bud Luers selection from a bull pasture in Ohio. This nut is large, flavorful, productive, and has a very thin shell. It would win all the points except for the fact that the lobes inside the shell pinch the kernel making whole extraction difficult. So it’s not an excellent cracker, but still a beautiful nut.

• Fayette – another fine shellbark selection originally from Fayette Etter of Franklin county, PA. This one is a moderately sized nut with a very thin shell and the highest percentage of kernel inside. Cracks easily. Proven to make good seedlings! 40% kernel, kernels averaging 4.1-4.8 grams each.

• Garnett — shellbark from Kentucky, introduced by Lucky Pittman. Tree bears heavy crop of large nuts year after year without missing a beat. Ripens early in September rather than October. Shell fairly thick but cracks out alright.

• Henry – an excellent shellbark selection from Fayette Etter of Franklin county, PA. A large nut with a somewhat thick shell, but it is an excellent cracker and the thicker shell makes this variety less susceptible to weevil damage. The tree is laterally bearing and outrageously productive. Tested for the north. 25% kernel with the kernel averaging 6.0 grams.

• Hoffeditz — Fayette Etter selection from Franklin county, PA. Modest sized nut like a large shagbark, bears annually, and cracks out well.

• Keystone – one of the finest shellbark selections from anywhere across the species range. This was first discovered and propagated by Fayette Etter of Franklin county, PA. A large nut with a thin shell and kernels which fall right out when cracked and have a rich flavor. A highly productive tree. 40% kernel with the kernel averaging 6.5-7.0 grams.

• Longenecker — Miles Nolt selection from Lancaster county PA. Beautiful square-shouldered nuts crack easily. 31% kernel with the kernel averaging 4.2-5.9 grams.

• Merle's Best – Merle Winters best shellbark selection from Pinkneyville, Illinois. Large nut, high productivity, weevil-resistance, and easy cracking. Great all-around shellbark.

• Neiman — a quality shellbark selection. Large, round nut with good crackability.

• Rausch – selection from John "Bud" Luers, Ohio. Came out of the same bull pasture as Bullnut and Brouse. It’s a large nut and productive.

• Richmond Furnace – this shellbark selection comes out of Metal Township, PA and was first grafted by Jack Winieski. A beautiful, moderately sized nut that cracks well with good flavor. 30% kernel with the kernel averaging 4.0 grams.

• Scholl – another Bud Luers selection from Ohio. Medium-large nut, high productivity, weevil-resistance, and easy cracking, excellent flavor and storage. Great all-around shellbark.

• Stephens – this very large shellbark selection comes out of Missouri, or Kansas according to Fayette Etter. The nuts are over 2 or 2.5, almost 3 inches across — after the husks are removed! With the husks on, the nuts can be 4 inches or more around, like softballs. It’s incredible to see a native nut this large. Shell is thick but it does crack rather decently with 25% of the weight being in the kernel.

• Weaver Pasture — this selection comes from Paul Weaver of Franklin county, PA. It’s a tree grown from seed he received from the late, great John Gordon. Quality shellbark.

Shagbark

• Burn Hill – a selection found by Al Rock of Perry county, PA. The nut looks like a very large shagbark, with thin shells and excellent cracking qualities. A Pennsylvania Farm Show winner. The tree bears leaflets of 5 as well as 7, indicating hybridization, most likely a shagbark x shellbark natural cross.

• Cedar Rapids — from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Older, classic variety. Large size, thin shells, and cracks decently. 45% kernel.

• Conowingo – my selection from Lancaster county, PA 2020. Large shagbark with very thin shell and excellent cracking qualities. Self-pollinating. Weevil-resistance and overall productivity remain to be evaluated but seems promising on both fronts. 40.5% kernel with the kernels averaging 3.6 grams.

• 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.

• Goheen – originally from Pennsylvania Furnace, PA, from Mrs. Martha Goheen, introduced in 1934. A very large shagbark with nuts 1 1/4” x 1” around. Comparable in size and shell thinness and crackability to Grainger. It is no longer being propagated, and I’m not sure why. I came across it in 2023 and was able to identify it in 2024, although not with 100% certainty.

• Grainger – the quintessential shagbark hickory selection. From John Hershey, Grainger county TN, 1934. Large shagbark, thin shells, weevil-resistant, high productivity, annual-bearing, and excellent cracking qualities. Proven to make excellent seedlings! 41% kernel with the kernels averaging 4.0 grams.

• Hales’ Papershell — this heritage variety has the claim of being the first shagbark hickory ever propagated by grafting, circa 1878. Original tree came from Henry Hales of Ridgewood, NJ. Very large, thin-shelled nut, that cracks beautifully, but the downside is it can produce a large number of blanks — must be particular about compatible pollen.

• Hollenbach – a new selection of mine from 2023 found in Lehigh county, PA. This shagbark nut is a real hunk of a nut. Very large size, and squarish in profile so it can stuff in more kernel. Very thin shells and cracks great. If Grainger is the standard bearer, Hollenbach is a little larger. Unfortunately I discovered the tree after the peak nut season had ended, and 2024 was a bust, so I offer it for now experimentally and will continue to evaluate this variety in 2025.

• Jobstown – variety from Ted Daniecki of New Jersey. Very large shagbark-type nut with a thin shell and excellent cracking. Appears to be a shagbark x shellbark hybrid.

• 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. It is believed to be a seedling of Grainger on account of it looking very similar with all the same outstanding traits of Grainger, but leaves are darker green with thicker canopy, season is later, and kernel is more plump. It’s possible that it is a local Pennsylvania variety — Hershey said its origin was in Lorane, Pennsylvania. 44% kernel with the kernels averaging 3.9 grams.

• Porter – from Mrs. Williams of Mackeyville PA, 1960. Large shagbark with excellent cracking qualities and productivity. May have some weevil-resistance. 46% kernel with the kernels averaging 4.0 grams.

• Sinking Fork – from Lucky Pittman, Hopkinsville KY. A quality shagbark with high productivity, good crackability, and storage.

• Walters – this is a very large shagbark nut, or possibly a shagbark x shellbark hybrid. John Hershey offered it in his catalog under the category of Western Shellbark Hickory. Walters is a very productive tree and the shell is thin like a shagbark and the flavor of the kernels is great. Cracking qualities are acceptable.

• Weaver Barn — selection from Paul Weaver of Franklin county, PA, from a tree grown from a nut given him by John Gordon. Quality shagbark.

• Weschcke — classic shagbark variety from Iowa, introduced and popularized by Carl Weschcke of Minnesota. Moderately large shagbark nut shaped like a teardrop. Thin shells, and cracks very well. Bears annually. Technically, this nut is a hybrid with introgressed bitternut admixture, resulting in this variety being pollen-sterile. 47% kernel with the kernels averaging 1.8-2.3 grams.

Hybrids & Hicans

• 79-3-4 – from the breeding work of Bill Thielenhaus, Kansas. A real large, heavy hican nut.

• Beaver — a natural cross between shagbark and bitternut from Millerstown, Pennsylvania and introduced by J. F. Jones. Physically resembles a large bitternut, but without any bitter flavor. Kernel is an astounding 57% of the total nut weight, putting it on par with straight species bitternut hickory. The kernels average 4.0-5.0 grams.

• Burlington — natural shellbark x pecan cross from Burlington, Iowa, introduced by J. F. Jones. Nuts and tree form take strongly after the pecan parent, with the shellbark hickory conferring more cold hardiness and adaptibility to northern growing seasons. 33% kernel with kernels weighing 2.3-2.6 grams on average.

• Burton — natural shagbark x pecan cross from Owensboro, Kentucky. Highly productive, annually bearing tree. Nuts are tasty, and crack ok, but are susceptible to weevil damage.

• Clarksville — natural shellbark x pecan cross from Clarksille, Missouri. Nuts look very similar to T-92 hican, but are often larger. Can bear heavy crops. Flavor excellent. Ripens late so recommended for zones 7 and warmer.

• Country Club — shellbark x pecan hican. I haven’t been able to evaluate this nut yet myself, but it has a good reputation. Said to fill well and crack excellently. 46% kernel with kernels averaging 3.6 grams.

• Dooley Burton – this hican began as an f2 open-pollinated seedling of Burton hican (shagbark x pecan), planted by Ken Dooley of Indiana. Dooley Burton is a beautiful, oval-shaped nut pointy at both ends like a pecan, but appearing more like a small shellbark. The shells are thin and its cracks beautiful. The tree is very productive and also highly weevil-resistant! 39% kernel with kernels averaging 1.8 grams.

• Etter hican – introduced by Fayette Etter, Franklin County PA circa late '50s. Probably a cross between Weschcke and McAllister; or in other words, a complex hybrid composed of four species: bitternut, pecan, shagbark, and shellbark. Nut is large and shells very thin with shallow lobes – nut kernel practically falls out. A great hican.

• Fairbanks — shagbark x bitternut cross from Anamosa, Iowa, introduced by D. W. Snyder Nursery who popularized it alongside J. F. Jones in Pennsylvania. 51% kernel with kernel weight averaging 4.0 grams.

• 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 is of shellbark or a large shagbark.

• McAllister hican – a wild, natural cross of shellbark and pecan, originally from southern Indiana found in the 1890s. Claims title as “North America’s largest nut,” it presents like a two or three times oversized pecan. Rich flavor and can be productive in the right soils, but it does not fill well. Needs shellbark trees nearby as pollinizers. The tree is broad and vase shaped and makes a beautiful specimen. Not recommended if production is your goal; instead a specimen tree and a curiosity.

• T-92 — a complex hybrid between shellbark x pecan with influences from other hickory species, from the breeding work of Bill Thielenhaus of Kansas. Nut closely resembles Clarksville hican, but is often smaller. It bears earlier than Clarksville. Cracks well.

• Vernon — a shellbark or maybe a shagbark x pecan cross from Jim Wilson, Nevada City, Missouri. Very heavy bearer and cracks beautifully. 52% kernel with kernels averaging 4.5 grams.

Grafted hickories are potted in two sizes: 4” x 14” tree pots, and 6” x 16” tree pots, at $75 and $90 respectively. The ones in 14” pots will generally have 3-10” of growth above the union, and those in 16” pots will generally have 8-24”.

*A note about rootstock — Pecan rootstocks are generally considered fastest to bear compared to shagbark or shellbark rootstocks, given the pecan species’ tendency to focus more on lateral root development from the very beginning. In my experience however, this conventional wisdom is not fully tried and tested. Shellbark rootstocks have also demonstrated the ability to get a tree to bearing size as quickly as pecan. Furthermore there are genetic compatibility factors which may be at play and should be considered. I have chosen therefore not to take “one size fits all” policy regarding hickory rootstocks, and use pecan and shellbark equally. I will also occasionally use other kinds of rootstocks for certain varieties. Rootstocks are noted with each dropdown selection so you can choose which combination you prefer.