The Pecan is a very large tree from the south-central U.S. that is frequently cultivated in North Carolina for its nuts. It escapes from cultivation only on occasion. Pecans are fairly easy to identify because of the large number of leaflets per leaf (11-17) and the pale, scaly bark.

The most similar native species are Water Hickory (Carya aquatica), which has 9-11 very narrow leaflets and slightly shaggy bark, and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), which has a similar number of leaflets (15-19), but tight, darker bark. The distinctive vase-like shape of mature Pecan trees is another good clue.

View from beneath the canopy of a large tree.

Hillsborough, Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

Flowering is in late spring.

Hillsborough, Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

Some older references, such as the Radford manual, spell the species name Carya illinoensis.

Hillsborough, Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

Hillsborough, Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

Bark of a large tree. The bark is pale tan and scaly. One of the favorite trees of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, on most trees (not pictured here) there are lines of regularly-spaced holes drilled into the bark.

Hillsborough, Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.