Pecan | Fourth and Gill Arboretum

Other Names:
Native to:: Northern Mexico & Southern USA
Sidewalk Visibility:: Excellent
Public?: No
Diameter:
Conservation Status
Description:: A species of hickory native to the southern United States and parts of Mexico. It’s the largest of the hickories, growing up to 140 feet tall. Pecans are prized for their nuts (which are technically not nuts, but drupes) and have been a delicacy since Native Americans occupied the region. In spite of its long history as a food source, it’s one of the (if not the) most recently domesticated major crops, first being harvested and sold commercially in the 1880s! The wood is dense but flexible and (like other hickories) unsurpassed for tool handles. It’s also used as a highly durable flooring, flavoring smoked meat, and furniture.
Notes:: Possibly the oldest tree in the neighborhood and the only Pecan in Fourth & Gill.