Pecan
Pecan orchard Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fagales Family: Juglandaceae Genus: Carya Species: C. illinoinensis
Binomial name
Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K.Koch

The Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is a species of hickory native to southeastern North America, from southern Iowa and Indiana south to Texas and Mississippi. It is a deciduous tree, growing to 25–40 m in height, and can be grown approximately from USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9, provided summers are also hot and humid. Pecan trees may live and bear nuts for more than three hundred years, and are one of the largest species of hickory^[1]. The Pecan harvest for growers is traditionally around mid October and they grow wild in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina and other southeastern states of the U.S. as well as northeast Mexico. Pecan orchard at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, Texas. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Orders See text. ... Families included in the Kew list: Fagaceae - Beech family   (including Nothofagaceae) Betulaceae - Birch family Corylaceae - Hazel family Ticodendraceae not included in the Kew list: Casuarinaceae - She-oak family Juglandaceae - Walnut family Rhoipteleaceae Myricaceae The Fagales are an order of flowering plants, including some of the best known trees. ... Genera Alfaroa Annamocarya (beaked hickory) Carya (hickory and pecan) Cyclocarya (wheel wingnut) Engelhardia (cheo) Juglans (walnut) Oreomunnia Platycarya Pterocarya (wingnut) The Juglandaceae are a family of dicotyledonous trees in the order Fagales. ... Species See text Comparison of Carya nuts Ripe hickory nuts ready to fall, Andrews, SC Hickory is a tree of the genus Carya, including 17-19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and large nuts. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Species See text Comparison of Carya nuts Ripe hickory nuts ready to fall, Andrews, SC Hickory is a tree of the genus Carya, including 17-19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and large nuts. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Deciduous means temporary or tending to fall off (deriving from the Latin word decidere, to fall off) and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... The United States Department of Agriculture (also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA) is a United States Federal Executive Department (or Cabinet Department). ... Temperature scale of hardiness zones, showing the average annual minimum temperature boundaries for the zones A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by temperature hardiness, or ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city Baton Rouge [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35...

Ripe pecan nuts on tree

The leaves are alternate, 40–70 cm long, and pinnate with 9–13 (rarely up to 17) leaflets, each leaflet 5–12 cm long and 2–6 cm broad. The flowers are wind-pollinated, and monoecious, with staminate and pistillate catkins on the same tree. The Pecan trees are mostly self incompatible, because most cultivars, being clones derived from wild trees, show incomplete dichogamy. Generally, two or more trees of different cultivars must be present to pollenize each other. The fruit is an oval to oblong nut, 2.6–6 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, dark brown with a rough husk 3–4 mm thick, which splits off at maturity to release the thin-shelled nut.
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... “Foliage” redirects here. ... A Phalaenopsis flower Rudbeckia fulgida A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... A flower-fly pollinating a Common Daisy (Bellis perennis) Pollination is an important step in the reproduction of seed plants: the transfer of pollen grains (male gametes) to the plant carpel, the structure that contains the ovule (female gamete). ... Plant sexuality deals with the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. ... Stamens of the Amaryllis with prominent anthers carrying pollen Insects, while collecting pollen, accidentally transfer it from one flower to another, bringing about pollination The stamen is the male organ of a flower. ... Amaryllis style and stigmas A carpel is the female reproductive organ of a flower; the basic unit of the gynoecium. ... A male catkin on a willow Male catkins on a Common Hazel in January before opening Catkins, or aments, are slim, cylindrical flower clusters, wind-pollinated and without petals, that can be found in many plant families, including Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Moraceae, and Salicaceae. ... A cultivar is a cultivated variety of a plant species. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of something. ... Dichogamy is the temporal separation of gender in hermaphroditic organisms (e. ... This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ... The words pollenizer (polleniser) and pollinator are often confused. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Hazelnuts from the Common Hazel Chestnut A nut can be either a seed or a fruit. ...

Cultivation and uses

Pecans

The nuts of the Pecan are edible, with a rich, buttery flavor. They can be eaten fresh or used in cooking, particularly in sweet desserts but also in some savory dishes. One of the most common desserts with the pecan as a central ingredient is the pecan pie, a traditional southern U.S. recipe. Pecans are also a major ingredient in praline candy, most often associated with New Orleans. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 524 pixelsFull resolution (2700 × 1767 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 524 pixelsFull resolution (2700 × 1767 pixel, file size: 1. ... Cooking is the act of preparing food for ingestion. ... A selection of desserts Dessert is not a meal that can be withstanding by itself. ... A slice of pecan pie Pecan Pie is also a 2002 short movie starring Jim Carrey and written/directed by Michel Gondry. ... Praline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

In addition to the pecan nut, the wood of the pecan tree is also used in making furniture, in hardwood flooring, as well as flavoring fuel for smoking meats. Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... Look up furniture in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image:Fagus wood. ... A hardwood floor (parquetry) is a popular feature in many houses. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Smoking Smoking is the process of preserving, cooking, or flavoring food by exposing it to the smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials, most often wood. ... Mortal Kombat character, see Meat (Mortal Kombat). ...

Pecans were one of the most recently domesticated major crops. Although wild pecans were well known among the colonial Americans as a delicacy, the commercial growing of pecans in the United States did not begin until the 1880s.^[2] Today, the U.S. produces between 80% and 95% of the world's pecans, with an annual crop of 150-200 million kg (300-400 million pounds)^[3]. Historically, however, the leading Pecan-producing state in the U.S. has been Georgia, followed by Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, they are also grown in Arizona. Outside the United States, pecans are grown in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Peru and South Africa. In the early 1900's, in Peru, the shells were occasionally used as part of an early filtration system. Crushed pecan shells were mixed with rocks and gravel in a method very similar to the gravity fed, ceramic filtration system developed much later by the Englishman John Doulton. Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ...

Diseases

Main article: List of pecan diseases

This article is a list of diseases of pecans (Carya illinoinensis). ...

Nutrition

Pecans are a good source of protein and also unsaturated fats. Studies have shown that a diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstones in women.^[4] The Antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans have been shown to reduce high Cholesterol by reducing the (bad) LDL cholesterol levels.^[5] Lactose is a disaccharide found in milk. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water. ... In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched aliphatic tail (chain), which is either saturated or unsaturated. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... In medicine, gallstones are crystalline bodies formed within the body by accretion or concretion of normal or abnormal bile components. ... An antioxidant is a chemical that prevents the oxidation of other chemicals. ... β-sitosterol Ergosterol. ... Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol) and a lipid found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. ... Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a class of lipoprotein particles that varies in size (18-25 nm in diameter) and contents (while carrying fatty acid molecules in blood and around the body). ...

Trivia

• In 1906 Texas Governor James Stephen Hogg made the Pecan tree the state tree of Texas. The story goes that Hogg had a Pecan Tree planted at his grave instead of a traditional headstone, requesting that the nuts be distributed throughout the state to make Texas a "Land of Trees"^[6].

• The scientific name is commonly misspelled "illinoensis".

• The pronunciation of pecan is a source of friendly dispute among aficionados. Some people say [ˈpiː.kæn] while others say [pə.ˈkɑn]. (See International Phonetic Alphabet.) The word pecan itself is noted as having an origin from the Native American Algonquin tribe, meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack^[7].

• In and around the greater New Orleans area and the outlying parishes, the phrase "gone pecan" (pronounced in the local dialect as "gawn pe-cawn") is used to refer to a person who behaves in a crazy or illogical way. It is typically used in a positive or friendly fashion among companions. At one time, the phrase was used in a derogatory fashion to label the mentally ill or irresponsible.

James Stephen Jim Hogg (March 24, 1851-March 3, 1906 was a Texas lawyer and statesman, and the first native to become Governor of Texas. ... This List of U.S. state trees includes official trees of the following states and U.S. possessions: See also Lists of U.S. state insignia National Grove of State Trees External link USDA list of state trees and flowers Categories: | | ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... This article is about the Native American tribe. ...

External links

• Flora of North America: Carya illinoinensis
• Carya illinoinensis images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
• National Center for Home Food Preservation — Home Preservation of Pecans
• USDA Forest Service: Carya illinoensis

References

1. ^ http://www.harrellnut.com/pecanfactsandtips.html
2. ^ http://pecankernel.tamu.edu/introduction/index.html
3. ^ http://www.tpga.org/faqs.html
4. ^ http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/80/1/76
5. ^ http://www.llu.edu/news/scope/spr02/newscope2.html
6. ^ http://www.tpga.org/faqs.html
7. ^ http://www.greenvalleypecan.com/history.asp