Compound Leaves – Tendrils

There are eighteen species of Hickory in the genus Carya (from Ancient Greek for “nut”). Those eighteen, in turn, are in the Walnut or Juglandaceae family. Twelve of these Hickory Trees are native to North America. Right now on my mountain they are literally shining bright. The photograph above has Red Maple leaves in the foreground and gleaming through from behind are Hickory leaves in their autumn splendor.

The leaves of Hickories are compound. They have leaflets growing opposite each other along the leaf’s central stem, or rachis, with a final leaflet at the end. All this comprises the whole leaf, an odd number of leaflets makes up one leaf, of all Hickory trees.

There are four species of Hickory native to Virginia. One of them, Shagbark Hickory, is quite common further up the mountain. It might be my favorite of the Hickories because its identity is so obvious. Easy is good.

Originally from India. Mock Strawberry (Potentilla indica). It appears very much like Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana).

If you’re looking for the marvelous experience of eating Wild Strawberries more than likely you will be disappointed. The Mock Strawberry has very little flavor and is quite dry. But if you’re feeling adventuresome, it is edible.

You’ll find Mock Strawberries blooming in April. I’ve just wandered looking for blooms but didn’t come up with any flowers to photograph. So, they’ll be blooming soon. Their blooms are striking yellow, while Wild Strawberry blossoms are white with yellow centers. Keep that in mind. Yellow blooms are the Mock Strawberries.

The berries themselves are a bit different. While Wild Strawberries have seeds that are set into dimple like depressions in the fruit, and moist, the Mock Strawberry seeds are set on the surface of the round fruit which is dry. Leaves? Very similar. Each of their leaves is compound, composed of three leaflets. The edges of both leaves are serrated but the tips of those serrations on the Mock Strawberry leaves are more blunt, the serrations of the Wild Strawberry are more sharp. Best of luck with your berry hunting and let me know what you find.