PECAN

241 Avon Rd.

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)

The pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a large deciduous lowland tree that grows 75-100 feet tall with a large, rounded spreading crown. Trunks mature to 2-4 inches in diameter. 

Flowers give way to sweet, edible nuts. Each nut is encased in a thin husk which splits open in four sections when ripe in fall. Pecans are an important commercial nut crop in the U.S. Most pecan commercial plantings are located in the southern U.S. It bears nuts within 6-10 years of planting, and continues to produce regardless of age. Generally, two or more trees of different cultivars must be present to pollinate each other. It is difficult to transplant because of the long taproot it develops.

The pecan, in various aspects, is included in state symbols of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Oklahoma, and Texas. “Pecan” is from an Algonquian word variously referring to pecans, walnuts and hickory nuts. There is little agreement in the United States, even regionally, as to the “correct” pronunciation — whether pe-KAHN or PEE-can. 

Pecan wood is prized in the woodworking world for its handsome grain, and is used in making furniture and wood flooring. Pecan wood is also used as a flavoring for smoking meats, giving grilled foods a sweet and nutty flavor. 

The nuts are favored by squirrels, deer, raccoons, foxes, wild turkeys, wood ducks, crows, blue jays, and several other bird species.