PECAN 



{Hicoria pecan (Marsh.) Britton) 



(Carya pecan Ashe and Gr.) 



TTHE pecan is found native in the State chiefly in 

 the" southern half, but has been widely planted 

 for nuts, and from them has sometimes spread con- 

 siderably. It makes an excellent shade tree, and 

 for this purpose it has also been planted. The pecan 

 is tiie largest of the hickories, attaining heights of 

 over 100 feet and when grown in the open forming a 



PECAN 

 One-quarter natural size. 



large rounded top of symmetrical shape. The outer 

 bark is rough, hard, tight, but broken into scales; on 

 the limbs, it is smooth at first but later tends to scale 

 or divide as the bark grows old. 



The leaves resemble those of the other hickories 

 and the black walnut. They are made up of 9 to 17 

 leaflets, each oblong, toothed and long-pointed, and 

 4 to 8 inches long by about 2 inches wide. 



The flowers appear in early spring and hang in 

 tassels from 2 to 3 inches long. The fniif is a nut, 

 4-winged or angled, pointed, from 1 to 2 inches long, 

 and one-half to 1 inch in diameter, borne in a husk 

 which divides along its grooved seams when the nut 

 ripens in the fall. The nuts, which vary in size and 

 in the thickness of the shell, have been greatly im- 

 proved by selection and cultivation and are sold 

 on the market in large quantities. 



The wood is strong, tough, heavy and hard and is 

 used occasionally in making handles and parts of 

 vehicles, and for fuel. 



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