The garden was named after the mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa), a species characteristic of the red oak woods, which are a special focus of our research program. There was a magnificent old mockernut hickory growing next to the stone well at the old Leitner house site (immediately adjacent to our present headquarters building) at the time the property was purchased. Unfortunately, this hollow tree succumbed to the drought of 1998. (At the time of its death, it was about 100 years old, as confirmed by Leitner family archive photos showing the tree as a sapling.) Other mockernuts around the house site are now reaching maturity. This spot may not appear like much of a hilltop to those from more topographically gifted regions, but, at 182 ft above sea level, it is one of the highest points on the Florida peninsula.

(And why are mockernut hickories called that? They have extraordinarily hard, thick shells that frustrate those who try to get at the delicious hickory nuts inside.)