Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
River-born sweetness. The South’s proudest nut.
What It Is
Pecan is a tall native hickory of the central and southern United States, most at home along river bottoms, floodplains, rich valleys, and old farmsteads. Its long, featherlike compound leaves and smooth, thin-shelled nuts make it one of the most beloved wild and cultivated nut trees in North America.
Though people often think of pecan as separate from hickory, it belongs to the same genus, Carya. In other words, pecans are hickories, just the fancy cousin that got invited to every holiday pie.
The nuts form inside green husks that split into four sections when ripe. In a good year, one mature pecan tree can drop enough nuts to feed people, squirrels, crows, deer, and half the neighborhood.
Field ID Quick Tip
Pecan is easiest to recognize by its leaves, nuts, and river-loving habits.
Tall tree, often 70 to 100 feet or more.
Alternate, compound leaves with 9 to 17 narrow, curved leaflets.
Leaflets are sharply toothed and often slightly sickle-shaped.
Green husks split into four sections as the nut matures.
Nuts are oval, smooth, and thinner-shelled than most hickories.
Often found near rivers, bottomlands, old homesteads, and planted yards.
Look-Alikes
Other Hickories (Carya spp.)
Usually have broader leaflets.
Nuts often have thicker shells.
Husks are generally heavier and harder.
Many require more effort to crack than pecans.
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Round green fruits rather than oval pecans.
Strong citrusy smell from the husk.
Dark, deeply ridged bark.
Nuts enclosed in thick husks that do not split cleanly into four sections.
Tip: Pecan leaflets are long, narrow, and slightly curved. If the nut is thin-shelled and oval, and the husk splits into four clean sections, you are probably looking at pecan.
River-born sweetness. The South’s proudest nut.
What It Is
Pecan is a tall native hickory of the central and southern United States, most at home along river bottoms, floodplains, rich valleys, and old farmsteads. Its long, featherlike compound leaves and smooth, thin-shelled nuts make it one of the most beloved wild and cultivated nut trees in North America.
Though people often think of pecan as separate from hickory, it belongs to the same genus, Carya. In other words, pecans are hickories, just the fancy cousin that got invited to every holiday pie.
The nuts form inside green husks that split into four sections when ripe. In a good year, one mature pecan tree can drop enough nuts to feed people, squirrels, crows, deer, and half the neighborhood.
Field ID Quick Tip
Pecan is easiest to recognize by its leaves, nuts, and river-loving habits.
Tall tree, often 70 to 100 feet or more.
Alternate, compound leaves with 9 to 17 narrow, curved leaflets.
Leaflets are sharply toothed and often slightly sickle-shaped.
Green husks split into four sections as the nut matures.
Nuts are oval, smooth, and thinner-shelled than most hickories.
Often found near rivers, bottomlands, old homesteads, and planted yards.
Look-Alikes
Other Hickories (Carya spp.)
Usually have broader leaflets.
Nuts often have thicker shells.
Husks are generally heavier and harder.
Many require more effort to crack than pecans.
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Round green fruits rather than oval pecans.
Strong citrusy smell from the husk.
Dark, deeply ridged bark.
Nuts enclosed in thick husks that do not split cleanly into four sections.
Tip: Pecan leaflets are long, narrow, and slightly curved. If the nut is thin-shelled and oval, and the husk splits into four clean sections, you are probably looking at pecan.
