Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) is grouped with the “pecan hickories”. It is also called swamp hickory and bitternut. It is a medium to large sized tree that typically grows 60 to 90 feet tall and 12 to 24 inches in diameter. In a forest setting it develops a long branch-free trunk that has very little taper with a rounded crown. It is generally intermediate to intolerant of shade and somewhat fast-growing. It is the shortest lived of the hickories typically living to only 200 years.