Species of slow-growing, long-lived tree native from Ontario to Minnesota, Florida and Mexico, but most prominent in the lower Ohio River region and south along the Mississippi River to central Arkansas. It is frequently found in the great river swamps of central Missouri and the Wabash River region in Indiana and Ohio. It has a long taproot and is thus hard to transplant; it is also subject to insect damage. Its sweet, edible nuts are the largest of all hickory nuts, though enclosed in a very hard shell. the nuts are harvested by humans and wildlife, including ducks, quail, wild turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, foxes, raccoons, and white-footed mice.
