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 or historical value.
Grafted hickories are potted, and will ship in 14” x 4” tree pots.
Rootstocks are noted with each dropdown selection.
*Pecan rootstocks are generally considered faster to bear than shagbark or shellbark rootstocks, given the pecan species’ tendency to focus more on lateral root development from the beginning. Hickory rootstocks by contrast focus on their taproot for a few years before beginning their growth spurt.
Shellbark
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Rausch – another Bud Luers selection from Ohio. Came out of the same bull pasture as Bullnut and Brouse. It’s a large nut and productive.
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.
Stephens – this very large shellbark selection comes out of Missouri. The nuts are over 2 or 2.5 inches across — after the husks are removed! With the husks on, the nuts can be 4 inches around, like softballs. It’s incredible to see a native nut this large. Shell is thick but it does crack rather decently.
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.
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 quite sure why. I rediscovered it last year in 2023 and was able to identify it in 2024.
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 but seems promising.
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, so I offer it for now experimentally and will continue to evaluate this variety.
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.
Hybrids & Hicans
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.
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.
79-3-4 – from the breeding work of Bill Thielenhaus, Kansas. A real large, heavy hican nut.
McAllister hican – a wild, natural cross of shellbark and pecan, originally from 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.
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!
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.
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 or historical value.
Grafted hickories are potted, and will ship in 14” x 4” tree pots.
Rootstocks are noted with each dropdown selection.
*Pecan rootstocks are generally considered faster to bear than shagbark or shellbark rootstocks, given the pecan species’ tendency to focus more on lateral root development from the beginning. Hickory rootstocks by contrast focus on their taproot for a few years before beginning their growth spurt.
Shellbark
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Rausch – another Bud Luers selection from Ohio. Came out of the same bull pasture as Bullnut and Brouse. It’s a large nut and productive.
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.
Stephens – this very large shellbark selection comes out of Missouri. The nuts are over 2 or 2.5 inches across — after the husks are removed! With the husks on, the nuts can be 4 inches around, like softballs. It’s incredible to see a native nut this large. Shell is thick but it does crack rather decently.
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.
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 quite sure why. I rediscovered it last year in 2023 and was able to identify it in 2024.
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 but seems promising.
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, so I offer it for now experimentally and will continue to evaluate this variety.
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.
Hybrids & Hicans
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.
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.
79-3-4 – from the breeding work of Bill Thielenhaus, Kansas. A real large, heavy hican nut.
McAllister hican – a wild, natural cross of shellbark and pecan, originally from 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.
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!
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.
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 or historical value.
Grafted hickories are potted, and will ship in 14” x 4” tree pots.
Rootstocks are noted with each dropdown selection.
*Pecan rootstocks are generally considered faster to bear than shagbark or shellbark rootstocks, given the pecan species’ tendency to focus more on lateral root development from the beginning. Hickory rootstocks by contrast focus on their taproot for a few years before beginning their growth spurt.
Shellbark
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Rausch – another Bud Luers selection from Ohio. Came out of the same bull pasture as Bullnut and Brouse. It’s a large nut and productive.
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.
Stephens – this very large shellbark selection comes out of Missouri. The nuts are over 2 or 2.5 inches across — after the husks are removed! With the husks on, the nuts can be 4 inches around, like softballs. It’s incredible to see a native nut this large. Shell is thick but it does crack rather decently.
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.
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 quite sure why. I rediscovered it last year in 2023 and was able to identify it in 2024.
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 but seems promising.
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, so I offer it for now experimentally and will continue to evaluate this variety.
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.
Hybrids & Hicans
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.
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.
79-3-4 – from the breeding work of Bill Thielenhaus, Kansas. A real large, heavy hican nut.
McAllister hican – a wild, natural cross of shellbark and pecan, originally from 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.
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!
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.