The spelling used here is from the NRCS list. Most sources list it as C. illinoensis . Bark light brown to gray, becoming deeply and irregularly furrowed into scaly ridges on older trunks and branches. Twigs thick, gray-brown, becoming glabrous.
Flowers catkins appearing in the early spring.
The seeds are delicious and nutritious, and are eaten by people and numerous species of wildlife. The nuts of all the hickories are important food for wildlife, especially squirrels. It is an important crop plant across the southern U. S., and is widely planted as a shade tree in towns.