A large tree 30 m or more tall. Bark deeply-furrowed. Buds yellow. Leaves compound, alternate. Leaflets mostly 11-17, finely toothed, opposite, short-stalked, oblong-lanceolate, about 10-16 cm long, each with a tapered point. Flowers in spring. Fruits mostly 3-5 cm long in groups of 3-10, pointed, thin-shelled; nut pale brown with an edible kernel. [Carya pecan (Marsh) Engl. & Graebn.]
North America, Mississippi Valley
The specific epithet appears in some texts as illinoensis.
Commercial production of Pecan nuts in Australia began in the 1970s and is established largely in northern New South Wales (Moree). Several hundred cultivars have been used in commerce world-wide; some of those used in Australia include: 'Western Schley', 'Moore', 'Stuart', 'Cheyenne', 'Shoshoni', 'Tejas', 'Apache', 'Kiowa', 'Candy', 'Cherokee', 'Chickasaw', 'Pabst' and 'Wichita'. These vary in such factors as the size of nut, time to maturity, climatic tolerances, yield and habit. Although male and female flowers occur on the same trees it is important to achieve cross pollination and appropriate cultivars should be grouped together to ensure success. Cultivars are grafted or budded onto seedling rootstocks, mainly 'Riverside' and 'Apache'.
The source of commercial pecan nuts.
Leaflets 11-17 asymmetric, toothed; nut sweet, cylindric.
SA: Coromandel Valley (Sandow Park Reserve, Sandow Crescent, 20 m tall with a canopy spread of 33 m and a trunk circumference of 4 m at chest height in 1994). NSW: Bathurst (Machattie Park); Richmond (beside Richmond Mall car park). VIC: Terang (by swimming pool, 8 m tall in 1987).
Allen (1986).
Source: (1997). Juglandaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
