Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
Introductory
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Coladonato, Milo. 1992. Carya illinoinensis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/carill/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
CARILL
SYNONYMS :
Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch [18]
SCS PLANT CODE :
CAIL2
COMMON NAMES :
pecan
pecan hickory
sweet pecan
Illinois nut
soft-shelled hickory
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for pecan is Carya illinoinensis
(Wangenh.) K. Koch [14]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties,
or forms. Pecan hybrid products are [23]:
Carya illinoinensis x C. aquatica = C. X lecontei Little
Carya illinoinensis x C. laciniosa = C. X nussbaumeri Sarg.
Carya illinoinensis x C. tomentosa = C. X schnecki Sarg.
Carya illinoinensis x C. cordiformis = C. X brownii Sarg.
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Pecan grows principally in the bottomlands of the Mississippi River
valley. Its range extends westard from southern Indiana through
Illinois, southeastern Iowa, and eastern Kansas, south to central Texas,
and eastward to western Mississippi and western Tennessee. Pecan occurs
locally in southwestern Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, and central Mexico.
Its best commercial development is on river-front lands of the
Mississippi Delta and along major rivers west of the Delta to Texas
[2,18]. Pecan is cultivated in Hawaii [25].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES16 Oak - gum - cypress
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
STATES :
AL AR IL HI IN IA KS KY LA MS
MO OH OK TN TX MEXICO
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
NO-ENTRY
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K089 Black Belt
K100 Oak - hickory forest
K101 Elm - ash forest
K111 Oak - hickory - pine forest
K112 Southern mixed forest
K113 Southern floodplain forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
40 Post oak - blackjack oak
61 River birch - sycamore
63 Cottonwood
65 Pin oak - sweetgum
73 Southern redcedar
75 Shortleaf pine
76 Shortleaf pine - oak
78 Virginia pine - oak
79 Virginia pine
80 Loblolly pine - shortleaf
81 Loblolly pine
82 Loblolly pine - hardwood
83 Longleaf pine - slash pine
88 Willow oak - water oak - diamondleaf oak
89 Live oak
91 Swamp chestnut oak - cherrybark oak
92 Sweetgum - willow oak
93 Sugarberry - American elm - green ash
94 Sycamore - sweetgum - American elm
95 Black willow
96 Overcup oak - water hickory
101 Baldcypress - tupelo
103 Water tupelo - swamp tupelo
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Pecan wood is inferior to that of other hickories and is not important
commercially. It is occasionally used for furniture, flooring,
agricultural implements, tool handles, and fuel [21,23].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Pecan nuts are eaten by a number of bird species, fox and gray
squirrels, opposums, racoons, and peccaries [10,18]. White-tailed deer
sometimes heavily browse older pecan trees [19].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
Pecan provides cover for a variety of birds and mammals in the
oak-hickory forests of southeastern United States [10].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Pecan has been successfully planted on surface-mined lands of Indiana,
Oklahoma, and Missouri [3]. The deep, lateral roots can provide
excellent watershed protection [24].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Pecan is widely planted as an ornamental, and for its sweet edible nuts.
The nuts have a high percentage of fat and are used extensively in
candies and cookies [20]. The leaves and bark are sometimes used as an
astringent [23].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Pecan seedling establishment is difficult due to small mammals pilfering
seed and girdling seedlings [24]. A number of small insects attack
pecan but rarely become epidemic [18].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Pecan is a long-lived, medium to large, native, deciduous tree ranging
from 100 to 150 feet (30-45 m) in height and 6 to 7 feet (1.8-2.1 m) in
diameter [5]. The gray trunk is shallowly furrowed and flat-ridged with
ascending branches forming an irregular, rounded crown. The twigs are
gray brown and hairy when young but become rough and furrowed on mature
trees. Flowers are borne in staminate and pistillate catkins.
Staminate catkins are in threes and bear small green flowers;
seed-bearing flowers occur singly or a few at the end of new growth.
The leaves are narrow, pointed, and curved at the tip with tooth margins
yellow-green above and paler below. The nut is brown, cylindric,
thin-shelled, and enveloped in a four-winged husk [7,9].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Seed production and dissemination: Seed production starts when the
trees are about 20 years old, but optimum seed-bearing age is 75 to 225
years. The trees bear fair to good crops almost every year. A mature
tree yields about 100 pounds (40 kg) of nuts per year. The seed is
disseminated by water, squirrels, and birds [12,18].
Seedling development: Under normal conditions, pecan nuts remain
dormant until germination starts in early April. Exceptionally dry
weather or heavy competition greatly reduces seedling survival. Under
favorable condition, pecan seedlings grow 3 feet (0.9 m) per year after
they have been established for several years [18].
Vegetative reproduction: Small stumps and fire-girdled seedlings and
saplings sprout very rapidly. Horticultural varieties of pecan are
propagated by budding and stem grafting [18].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Pecan is most common on well-drained loamy soils not subjected to
prolonged flooding. Throughout its range it is largely limited to
bottom alluvial soils of relatively recent origin. Its best development
is on riverfront ridges and well-drained flats [18]. It rarely grows on
low and poorly drained clay flats; it is usually replaced by water
hickory (Carya aquatica) on these sites [1].
In addition to the species listed in the SAF cover types, common tree
associates of pecan include slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), sugarberry
(Celtis laevigata), box elder (Acer negundo), silver maple (A.
saccharinum), roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii), and swamp-privet
(Forestiera acuminata). Common understory components include pawpaw
(Asimina triloba), giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea), and pokeweed
(Phytolacca americana). Vines often present are poison-ivy
(Toxicodendron radicans), grape (Vitis spp.), Alabama supplejack
(Berchemia scandens), greenbriers (Smilax spp.), and Japanese
honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) [4,17,18].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Pecan is classified as shade intolerant but is more shade tolerant than
cottonwood or willow. It responds well to release in all age groups,
provided that the trees have good vigor. Pecan is a subclimax species
[11,18].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Pecan flowers from March to May about a week after the leaves have
started to open. The nuts mature from September to October; seedfall
begins in September and ends in December [2,11].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Pecan is susceptible to fire damage at all ages because of the low
insulating capacity of the bark [18,24].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex
off-site colonizer; seed carried by animals or water; postfire yr 1&2
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Carya illinoinensis
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Light fires will kill the tops of small pecan trees and saplings. Heavy
burns may kill trees 10 to 12 inches (25-30 cm) d.b.h. and wound others,
providing entries for serious butt-rotting fungi. Particularly hot
fires may kill mature pecan trees [18].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Pecan will sprout from the stump after aboveground portions are killed
by fire [18,24].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Periodic fires in late spring and early summer effectively controlled
pecan growth in the Mississippi River Basin, killing most of the
seedling reproduction [24].
References: Carya illinoinensis
1. Allen, James A.; Kennedy, Harvey E., Jr. 1989. Bottomland hardwood reforestation in the lower Mississippi Valley. Slidell, LA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Research Center; Stoneville, MS: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experimental Station. 28 p. [15293]
2. Bonner, F. T.; Maisenhelder, L. C. 1974. Carya Nutt. hickory. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., technical coordinator. Seeds of woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 269-272. [7571]
3. Brothers, Timothy S. 1988. Indiana surface-mine forests: historical development and composition of a human-created vegetation complex. Southeastern Geographer. 28(1): 19-33. [8787]
4. Dooley, Karen L.; Collins, Scott L. 1984. Ordination and classification of western oak forests in Oklahoma. American Journal of Botany. 71(9): 1221-1227. [11543]
5. Duncan, Wilbur H.; Duncan, Marion B. 1988. Trees of the southeastern United States. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 322 p. [12764]
6. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
7. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p. (Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny Series; vol. 2) [14935]
8. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
9. Godfrey, Robert K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. 734 p. [10239]
10. Hardin, Kimberly I.; Evans, Keith E. 1977. Cavity nesting bird habitat in the oak-hickory forests--a review. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-30. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. 23 p. [13859]
11. Hodges, John D.; Switzer, George L. 1979. Some aspects of the ecology of southern bottomland hardwoods. In: North America's forests: gateway to opportunity: Proceedings, 1978 joint convention of the Society of American Foresters and the Canadian Institute of Forestry. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters: 360-365. [10028]
12. Knapp, Eric E.; Rice, Kevin J. 1998. Genetic structure and gene flow in Elymus glaucus (blue rye): implications for native grassland retoration. Restoration Ecology. 4(1): 1-10. [11875]
13. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
14. Little, Elbert L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agric. Handb. 541. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 375 p. [2952]
15. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No. 14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
16. McCarthy, Brian C.; Quinn, James A. 1989. Within- and among-tree variation in flower and fruit production in two species of Carya (Juglandaceae). American Journal of Botany. 76(7): 1015-1023. [13449]
17. Nixon, E. S.; Ward, J. R.; Fountain, E. A.; Neck, J. S. 1991. Woody vegetation of an old-growth creekbottom forest in north-central Texas. Texas Journal of Science. 43(2): 157-164. [15407]
18. Peterson, J. K. 1990. Carya illinoensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch pecan. In: Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators. Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Hardwoods. Agric. Handb. 654. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 205-210. [17398]
19. Quinton, Dee A.; Horejsi, Ronald G. 1977. Diets of white-tailed deer on the Rolling Plains of Texas. The Southwestern Naturalist. 22(4): 505-509. [12220]
20. Stephens, H. A. 1973. Woody plants of the North Central Plains. Lawrence, KS: The University Press of Kansas. 530 p. [3804]
21. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 1974. Wood handbook: wood as an engineering material. Agric. Handb. No. 72. Washington, DC. 415 p. [16826]
22. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982. National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names. SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
23. Vines, Robert A. 1960. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of the Southwest. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. 1104 p. [7707]
24. Wasser, Clinton H. 1982. Ecology and culture of selected species useful in revegetating disturbed lands in the West. FWS/OBS-82/56. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 347 p. [15400]
25. St. John, Harold. 1973. List and summary of the flowering plants in the Hawaiian islands. Hong Kong: Cathay Press Limited. 519 p. [25354]
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