I think this is a hickory tree and I'd like yall's opinion on the species. It was southeast of Houston in a loblolly pine/hardwood forest near the banks of a bayou. A year ago, I found the half rotten fruits of what I thought was a hickory in the same forest but was never able to find the tree. I'm pretty sure it had four segments with the husk being very thin (compared to a pecan). The leaves of this tree were no more than a foot in length although the tree had been damaged by last year's hurricane and might have been stunted by this summer's drought.
It is a hickory, but am not going to guess which one. You might post these pictures in the Trees Forum, where several nut tree experts will squabble back and forth as to the species!
Based on the proportions of the anterior three leaflets and the fact that there are nine leaflets, I'd guess either MOCKERNUT HICKORY (Carya tomentosa) or BITTERNUT HICKORY (Carya cordiformis). The former has large fruits, the latter very small fruits.
I'd go with Carya cordiformis too. Those buds are pretty distinctive. The color in the picture is a little dull, but they're usually bright golden color.
Thanks everyone. Looking at the picture of the fruit of C. cordiformis, it looks like a match. Too bad it's not one of the edible hickories. I hope I can find more seeds so I can start some seedlings at home.
