Texas State Tree
Pecan Tree
Juglandaceae Carya illinoinensis
Leaf
Alternate, pinnately compound with 9 to 15 finely serrate and often curved leaflets, 12 to 18 inches long.
Flower
Male flowers in hanging, yellow-green catkins, often in pairs of three
(4 to 5 inches long). Females are small and yellowish green, 4-angled.
Fruit
Large, oblong, brown, splotched with black, thin-shelled nuts, 1 ½ to
2 inches long, husks are thin and usually occur in clusters on trees. Mature in September and October.
Twig
Moderately stout, light brown, fuzzy particularly, when young; leaf scars large and three-lobed; buds are yellowish brown to brown, hairy, terminal buds ¼ to ½ inch long.
Bark
Smooth when young, becoming narrowly fissured into thin broken strips, often scaly.
Form
A large tree (can reach heights well over 100 feet) with a spreading crown when in the open.
of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation;
Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera,
and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654;
range map source information