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Glite Dictionary
Carya ovata

Carya ovata

9.8
A large North American tree with shaggy grey bark and nuts you can eat
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Carya ovata
  • The distinctive bark of Carya ovata peels away in long strips, giving it its common name, shagbark hickory.

Examples

  • The Carya ovata produces nuts that are a favorite among squirrels and humans alike.

  • Many old farmhouses in the Midwest are shaded by towering Carya ovata trees.

  • The Carya ovata produces delicious nuts each fall.

  • Have you ever seen a Carya ovata in the wild?

  • The Carya ovata is easily recognized by its shaggy grey bark and sweet edible nuts.

  • Squirrels eagerly gather the nuts from the ground beneath a Carya ovata tree every autumn.

  • In the forest, a mature Carya ovata stands out with its unique peeling bark.

Synonyms

shagbark
vsCarya ovata
  • US
1 9.8

A North American hickory tree with loose gray bark that peels and nuts you can eat

is the formal species name used in scientific contexts
shagbark hickory
vsCarya ovata
  • US
9.7

A North American tree with loose, peeling gray bark and nuts you can eat

is the Latin botanical name for that exact species

Surface Forms

Carya ovata singular
Carya ovatas plural

Morphology

Carya + ovata

This is a Linnaean binomial: the genus name Carya explicitly identifies a hickory/pecan group, and if a learner recognizes ovata as related to English 'ovate' (egg-shaped) they can infer it denotes a particular species of hickory. Because species epithets are Latin labels and 'ovata' is not a regular English word in the input, the interpretation is partly recoverable but depends on botanical/Latin knowledge rather than everyday composition, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Carya ovata comes from old word parts: Carya is from a Greek word for 'nut' and ovata means 'egg-shaped', so the name gives the picture of a nut-bearing tree with oval parts. Its common name 'shagbark', from the bark peeling away in long strips, adds a second image and helps you remember this species today.