Tree Description
Pecans are large trees growing to 120 feet with a trunk to 4 feet in diameter. When grown in the open, they have a broad, spreading crown. In wooded settings, they grow slender and tall with ascending branches and a tight, flat-topped crown.
Range / Site Description
These trees naturally occur in rich, fertile bottomlands across most of the state, from the East Texas pineywoods throughout Central Texas and west to the Concho River valley. They are planted as landscape trees and in orchards for nut production.
Leaf
The leaves are alternate and once-compound, 12” to 20” long, with 11 to 17 leaflets, each 4” to 8” long and up to 2” wide. The leaflets are lanceolate in shape, often falcate or inequilateral, finely toothed and long-pointed; the largest leaflets typically occur toward the end of the leaf.
Flower & Fruit
Male and female flowers appear in early spring, separately on the same tree. Male catkins are 3” to 6” long; female flowers grow in short spikes at the tips of the branches.
The fruit is a large, cylindrical or oval nut, 1” to 2” long and up to 1” in diameter, enclosed in a thin husk which opens along grooved seams when the fruit ripens in the fall. The nuts vary considerably in size and thickness of shell, and they are rich in protein, oil, and minerals.
Interesting Facts
Pecan is the state tree of Texas.
Species Summary
| Scientific Name: | Carya illinoinensis |
| Secondary Names: | Pecan Hickory |
| Tree Type: | Deciduous |
| Dimensions: | Height: 120 feet Trunk Diameter: 4 feet |
| Leaf Structure: | Alternate and once-compound |
| Leaf Size: | 4-8 inches long and up to 2 inches wide |
| Leaf Shape: | Lanceolate |
| Leaf Margin: | Finely toothed |
| Additional Information: | iNaturalist – Pecan |
Source: Texas A&M Forest Service Trees of Texas – Pecan