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Pecan,
although not native to North Carolina, has been widely planted
throughout the state during the past 200 years and has begun
to reproduce naturally. It is the largest of all hickories and
has reached 180 feet in height. Though its wood is widely used
in furniture, the pecan is noted for its sweet and tasty nut.
Pecan leaves are 12 to 20 inches long, with 9 to 17 toothed
leaflets that are 4 to 8 inches long, 1 to 3 inches wide and
dark yellow green above and paler below. The mature fruit is
a 4-ribbed, dark brown, ellipsoidal husk: the familiar smooth,
reddish-brown pecan. The bark on mature trees is light brown
to gray. It is composed of low, scaly ridges separated by very
narrow, shallow fissures.
Water hickory or bitter pecan
(Carya aquatcia (Michxf) Nutt) is common in the Coastal Plain,
where it is found on wet, poorly drained sites. It is similar
to pecan, differing mainly in its nut, which usually is obovoid,
flattened, smaller, and far less edible than pecan. Without
the fruit, it often is difficult to distinguish water hickory
from pecan.
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