North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Carya illinoinensis

Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

pecan

Synonym(s): Carya oliviformis, Carya pecan, Hicoria pecan

Image ID: 13460
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: CAIL2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carya illinoinensis
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2020-01-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: CARYA
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Carya
GENUS AUTHORITY: Nutt.
GENUS COMMON: Hybrid hickory
GENUS SUMMARY: [contributed by Alan S. Weakley & Robert K. Peet]
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Surface vestiture of leaves and bud scales is useful in distinguishing species of Carya. Some use of these characters can be made with a 10� or 20� hand lens; better still is a dissecting microscope. It is important to understand the different trichome types mentioned in the key (terminology follows Hardin 1990 and Hardin & Stone 1984). Short acicular trichomes are simple, unicellular trichomes tapered to a pointed tip, 0.10-0.35 mm long and with rough walls. Long acicular trichomes (solitary of Hardin & Stone 1984) are similar to short acicular, but are much larger, 0.45-1.6 mm long, and have smooth walls. Fasciculate trichomes are multicellular and have 2-8 straight or curled rays radiating from a clustered base. Multiradiate trichomes are similar to fasciculate, but have 8-17 rays, the inner (and usually more upright) rays attached basally above the outer (and usually more spreading) rays. Capitate glandular trichomes are unicellular or multicellular, and are distinguished by their bulbous or expanded tip; they are usually 0.02-0.1 mm long. Peltate scales are flat or dome-shaped shields or disks, slightly to strongly glandular, (sometimes regularly or irregularly lobed) and can be either sessile or stalked (they are often referred to as scales, resin dots, peltate glands, or lepidote scales). On the lower surfaces of leaflets, peltate scales are of two types: large peltate scales are 0.08-0.3 mm in diameter and are round, with smooth or slightly irregular margins, while small peltate scales are 0.025-0.12 mm in diameter and are either round, irregularly lobed or regularly 2- or 4-lobed.
GENUS REFERENCES: Stone in FNA (1997); Hardin (1992); Hardin & Stone (1984); Elias (1972); Stone, Adrouny, & Flake (1969); Stone (1961); Mohlenbrock (1986); Sargent (1918); Manning (1950); Hardin (1952); Little (1969); Harrar & Harrar (1962); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Key based in part on an unpublished manuscript prepared by Stone & Hardin for the Flora of the Southeastern United States.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: JUGLAN
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Juglandaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A. Richard ex Kunth 1824
FAMILY COMMON: Walnut Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 8 genera and 60 species, trees and shrubs, mostly temperate.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Stone in FNA (1997); Manos & Stone (2001); Elias (1972); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Pinnate
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Apr-May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
		x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
				x

FRUITING PERIOD: Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: southcentral U.S. & n. Mexico

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
801	1985-0460			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1526	801	157	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1527	801	159	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: CAIL2
USDA Common Name: Pecan
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU		FAC		FACU	FAC		FACW	FACW	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Carya illinoinensis
COMMON NAME: Pecan
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, K1, K3, MO, Va, WH3; = C. illinoensis - F, G, GW, RAB, orthographic variant; > Hicoria pecan (Marshall) Britton - S; > Hicoria texana LeConte - S]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-May; Oct.
HABITAT: Bottomlands, eastward persistent around dwellings and in pecan orchards, escaped to suburban woodlands, rural forest edges and floodplains, commonly cultivated.
COMMENTS: Native to the sc. United States, now more widespread in the se. United States as a result of cultivation. The spelling of the specific epithet has been a source of controversy.
RANGE MAP: Carya illinoinensis.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Juglandaceae A. Richard ex Kunth 1824 (Walnut Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 8 genera and 60 species, trees and shrubs, mostly temperate.
REFERENCE: Stone in FNA (1997); Manos & Stone (2001); Elias (1972); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Carya Nutt. (Hybrid hickory)
SUMMARY: [contributed by Alan S. Weakley & Robert K. Peet]
REFERENCE: Stone in FNA (1997); Hardin (1992); Hardin & Stone (1984); Elias (1972); Stone, Adrouny, & Flake (1969); Stone (1961); Mohlenbrock (1986); Sargent (1918); Manning (1950); Hardin (1952); Little (1969); Harrar & Harrar (1962); Stone in Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Key based in part on an unpublished manuscript prepared by Stone & Hardin for the Flora of the Southeastern United States.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Carya illinoinensis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Carya illinoinensis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Carya illinoinensis in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Carya illinoinensis in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Carya illinoinensis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Carya illinoinensis

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 13460 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 13460 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 13459 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 5240 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)