Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carya illinoinensis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Pecan at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carya illinoinensis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Carya illinoinensis
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 053-02-002:
Carya illinoensis FAMILY Juglandaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria pecan
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria texana
COMMON NAME:
Pecan
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Ron Lance jkm110219_651
Note variation in husk thickness & dehiscence, and nut shape, size & sweetness.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_210
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_cail2_004_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_hipe_001_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_illinoensis_3
January
Bark brownish, in scaly plates, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm080204_020
February Greenville County SC
The spelling of the specific epithet has been a source of controversy, per Weakley's Flora.
)
Gill Newberry gn04_c_illinoensis_male_c
April
Staminate flowers in prominent cylindrical catkins, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm210406_9141
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm210413_9536
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm210413_9538
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm130513_958
May Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow s040529_g
May Oconee County SC
Field
)
JK Marlow s040529_h
May Oconee County SC
Field
Leaves with 9-17 leaflets, often having long curved (falcate) tips, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_illinoensis
June
)
JK Marlow jkm080816_030
August Greenville County SC
Leaf lower surfaces pale and soft-pubescent, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm080816_033
August Greenville County SC
)
Gill Newberry gn10_c_illinoensis_pecans
October
Husk of fruits is about 1mm thick and winged or keeled, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_illinoensis_4
November
Buds dark gray; twigs hairy, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_carya_illinoensis_8
November
Fruit husks 2-4mm thick, but shrivel quickly after falling, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm081208_006
December Greenville County SC
Drive-by Tree ID is made easier by nut husks left on the twigs - looking a bit like twig hairbows.
)
JK Marlow jkm081208_015
December Greenville County SC
In Carya the husk is derived from bract and bracteoles not the sepals, per Evolution, Phylogeny, and Systematics of Juglandaceae (Manos & Stone, 2001).
)
Ron Lance jkm110219_636a
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Carya illinoinensis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carya illinoinensis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Carya illinoinensis
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 053-02-002:
Carya illinoensis
FAMILY
Juglandaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria pecan
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Hicoria texana
272
Tree
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Bottomland forests, hardwood flatwoods, swamps, margins of fields, pastures, often along larger rivers; eastwards (out of native range) introduced and persistent around dwellings and in pecan orchards, escaped to suburban woodlands, rural forest edges and floodplains, also commonly cultivated, per Weakley's Flora
Native: south central US
Commonly cultivated, commonly escaped or persistent
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Odd-pinnately compound: 11-19 leaflets
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Staminate calyx 2-3 lobed
Inferior ovary
Unisexual
Staminate flowers in elongate catkins
FRUIT:
Fall
Nut
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p212
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p068
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p021
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p216
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p066
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p12
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p086
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".