PECAN (Hicoria pecan, Britt). 100 to 140 feet. Tall, 

 broad-crowned tree, with thick trunk, buttressed at base. 

 Bark red-brown, in scaly plates; twigs downy, with orange 

 dots. Wood light brown, heavy, fine-grained, hard, not 

 strong, used for fuel. Leaves 12 to 20 inches long, of 9 to 17 

 leaflets, each short-stemmed, taper-pointed, saw-toothed, often 

 curved to sickle form, yellow-green, pale beneath, petioles and 

 midribs yellow. Flowers staminate in crowded catkins; pis- 

 tillate in terminal spikes, each flower 4-angled, scurfy, green- 

 ish. Fruit 3 to 11 in cluster, pointed, 4-angled, thin-husked, 

 parting to free the smooth, red nut. Kernel sweet, fine- 

 flavored, with bitter corky coat. Dist.: East of Mississippi 

 River, from southern Iowa to the Gulf; Illinois, Indiana south, 

 and from Alabama to Texas. Fine park and street tree 

 Best commercial nut tree native to the United States. 



