Pecan
(Juglandaceae Carya
illinoinensis )
Adopted in 1919.
The pecan,
Juglandaceae Carya
illinoinensis, is a
large tree native to North
America. It bears sweet
edible nuts, deep brown in
color, that range from 1 to
2 inches in length.
The mature pecan tree is
usually 70 to 100 feet tall,
as shown above, but can grow
as tall as 150 feet and
higher. The native pecan
trees shown are estimated to
be over 150 years old. Their
trunks are more than three
feet in diameter.
Texas is the largest
producer of native pecans,
and is second only to
Georgia in the production of
hybrid (orchard grown)
varieties. The pecan became
the Texas state tree by act
of the Texas Legislature in
1919. Governor James Hogg
favored the tree so much
that he requested that one
be planted at his gravesite.
Pecan is one of
the better-known pecan
hickories. It is also called
sweet pecan and in its range
where Spanish is spoken,
nogal morado or nuez
encarcelada. The early
settlers who came to America
found pecans growing over
wide areas. These native
pecans were and continue to
be highly valued as sources
of new varieties and as
stock for selected clones.
Besides the commercial
edible nut that it produces,
the pecan provides food for
wildlife. Pecans are an
excellent multipurpose tree
for the home landscape by
providing a source of nuts,
furniture-grade wood, and
esthetic value.
Chapter 97 (Senate Bill
No. 317), 36th Legislature,
Regular Session (1919) p.
234
Description:
- Leaf:
Alternate, pinnately
compound with 9 to 15
finely serrate and often
curved leaflets, 12 to
18 inches long.
- Flower: Male
flowers in hanging,
yellow-green catkins,
often in pairs of three
(4 to 5 inches long).
Females are small and
yellowish green,
4-angled.
- Fruit: Large,
oblong, brown, splotched
with black, thin shelled
nuts, 1 ½ to 2 inches
long, husks are thin,
usually occur in
clusters on trees.
Mature in September and
October.
- Twig:
Moderately stout, light
brown, fuzzy
particularly, when
young; leaf scars large
and three lobed; buds
are yellowish brown to
brown, hairy, terminal
buds ¼ to ½ inch long.
- Bark: Smooth
when young, becoming
narrowly fissured into
thin broken strips,
often scaly.
- Form: A large
tree (can reach heights
well over 100 feet) with
spreading crown when in
the open.
Taxonomic
Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae --
Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta --
Seed plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta --
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida --
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Hamamelidae – |
Order |
Juglandales – |
Family |
Juglandaceae –
Walnut family |
Genus |
Carya
Nutt. – hickory |
Species |
Carya
illinoinensis
(Wangenh.) K.
Koch – pecan |
Source:
Dendrology at
Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
|