In the spring, hickories bear clusters of small greenish flowers. The flowers are pollinated by the wind. The fruit consists of a round to oblong, hard-shelled nut inside a tight husk. During ripening, the husk typically splits into four sections. The nuts fall in September and October and are eaten by many mammals and birds.
Manufacturers use hickory wood for the handles of tools, especially axes, hammers, and picks.
In addition, the wood is used for baseball bats and furniture. At one time, wagon makers fashioned wheels out of hickory wood. The pignut hickory is one of the most common hickory trees in central and eastern North America. Its tough, hard wood is used to make handles for hammers, axes, picks and other tools. Hickory wood is very heavy and dense.