by CMG Betty J
The Pecan tree, Carya illinoinensis, is a towering (up to 160’ tall) shade tree of the hickory family of trees. This is the state tree of Texas and it has a tall, straight trunk and sturdy branches that form a symmetrical, oval crown. Pecan trees are native in wooded bottomlands and along stream banks in a large swath of eastern states from Texas and Alabama, north to southern Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas. They have been cultivated in most of the southeastern United States from Florida to Maryland. In the northern part of their range the trees do not bear a robust crop of nuts.
Pecan leaves are deciduous, alternate, and compound with 4-8 pairs of opposite leaflets with one at the tip. Each leaflet is smooth and has small teeth and thus they can hang vertically and shed rainwater. The midribs are asymmetrical with the wider part of the blade positioned toward the leaf tip.
The inconspicuous flowers appear in spring with both male and female blooms on the same tree. The male flower spike or catkin is 5-6” long. Pecans nuts are elongated with thin shells, often in clusters. They are an excellent source of high-energy protein for deer, turkeys, squirrels and other small mammals. Large pecan groves in the Texas Hill Country bottomlands are important roosting sites for wild turkeys and are critical to the turkeys’ survival in this area. The nuts are also cultivated commercially and are one of the most valuable cultivated plants in North America. In Texas the nuts are ready to harvest from September through November.
The word “pecan” comes from the Algonquin language. The species name is from an old term for these trees, “Illinois nuts.” Pecan wood is often used for furniture, veneer, flooring and for fuel to flavor smoked meats. The trees are the larval host to the hairstreak butterfly. Propagation is best done from seed since these trees have a large tap root making transplanting difficult. Pecan trees grow best in moist bottomlands, sandy loam, medium loam and caliche. They are slow-growing and susceptible to a large variety of pests and diseases. Trees are available commercially