Habit: monoecious trees
Leaves***: alternate, ***pinnately compound, estipulate; ***with peltate, aromatic glands
Flowers: small, unisexual; staminate inflorescences are catkins; pistillate inflorescences a solitary flower (rarely catkins)
Sepals: 4 and connate in staminate flowers (4 connate and adnate to the ovary in pistillate flowers)
Petals: absent
Stamens: 5-40, distinct
Gynoecium***: of 2-3 connate carpels; ovary inferior*** with 1 locule and 1 basal ovule
Fruit***: nut (or drupe, sometimes winged with adnate bracts); ***When a nut often surrounded by bracts that subtend the flower that mature to form a husk.....; nut inside is fruit that splits in 2 halves along midveins of carpels; seeds large with no endosperm and massive sculptured cotyledons
Diverstiy: 8 genera / 60 species
Distribution: mostly north-temperate
Economics edible nuts, wood very important in 18th century "the foremost cabinet wood of N Am." All large hickories cut....in 18th-19th century; also walnut oil -- hardens but does not become rancid; excellent preservative for cutting boards, ect....
Juglans (walnut) -- chambered pith in twigs
Carya (hickory) -- pith not chambered (genus of pecan)
Urtica sp.