Bark hard and gray, becoming irregularly furrowed into narrow forking ridges on older trunks and branches. Twigs thick, brown,hairy, with large half-round leaf scars. The single terminal bud is usually very large, and is covered by overlapping gray-hairy scales.
Flowers catkins appearing in the early Spring.
The nuts of all the hickories are important food for wildlife, especially squirrels. The wood is hard, heavy, and strong and is used for tool handles, ladders, and other specialty items. This and other hickories are used for barbecue and other smoked meats.