Carya is a genus of medium to large-sized trees in the walnut family, Juglandaceae. Around a dozen species are native to Eastern North America, with several others from Asia. Like their relatives the walnuts, most species produce delicious nuts which are enjoyed by both wildlife and humans. Although most species are referred to as hickories, I have listed them under the name pecan here for their most famous and widespread member, C. illinoinensis. I have not seen any other hickories locally, though perhaps others should be tried here.
Pecans are by far the most important member of the genus across most of the world, grown extensively in California and elsewhere as a food crop. They are sometimes planted as street trees, but are less favored in urban areas because of the large amounts of nuts and other litter that they produce. I don't know what it says about our culture that our biggest complaint about a tree can be that it produces too much free food, but I digress.
Luckily for hungry urban wildlife such as myself (and perhaps not so luckily for anxious property managers), thanks to the hard work of enterprising squirrels and jays, pecan has become one of our most common, but least recognized urban trees. For my family it has become a November tradition to walk the streets and collect the nuts, which are otherwise swept up and thrown away or eaten by rodents.
As you might guess, pecan grows very well in our area, often thriving with little to no irrigation and even in spite of efforts to remove them. It has strong wood, but young trees can benefit from careful pruning to prevent co-dominant stems from developing. I find the large green leaves to be very attractive, especially when compared to other low-water trees.
Despite its abundance in backyards, pecan is less common in natural ecosystems. A thorough search of our riparian forests will usually turn up a few, but their density and numbers are generally low enough to avoid major issues.
In their native environment, pecans suffer from a variety of pests and diseases, some of which are moderately serious. However, they usually seem healthy in our area--either these organisms were never brought here, or our climate does not suit them.
Overall the pecan is a great choice for anyone with a large enough space who wants a nice shade tree that comes with an easy source of food. For a larger property, a Pecan can be a great part of the canopy layer in a forest garden. They are somewhat allelopathic which may limit what can grow under them.
Pecans are by far the most important member of the genus across most of the world, grown extensively in California and elsewhere as a food crop. They are sometimes planted as street trees, but are less favored in urban areas because of the large amounts of nuts and other litter that they produce. I don't know what it says about our culture that our biggest complaint about a tree can be that it produces too much free food, but I digress.
Luckily for hungry urban wildlife such as myself (and perhaps not so luckily for anxious property managers), thanks to the hard work of enterprising squirrels and jays, pecan has become one of our most common, but least recognized urban trees. For my family it has become a November tradition to walk the streets and collect the nuts, which are otherwise swept up and thrown away or eaten by rodents.
As you might guess, pecan grows very well in our area, often thriving with little to no irrigation and even in spite of efforts to remove them. It has strong wood, but young trees can benefit from careful pruning to prevent co-dominant stems from developing. I find the large green leaves to be very attractive, especially when compared to other low-water trees.
Despite its abundance in backyards, pecan is less common in natural ecosystems. A thorough search of our riparian forests will usually turn up a few, but their density and numbers are generally low enough to avoid major issues.
In their native environment, pecans suffer from a variety of pests and diseases, some of which are moderately serious. However, they usually seem healthy in our area--either these organisms were never brought here, or our climate does not suit them.
Overall the pecan is a great choice for anyone with a large enough space who wants a nice shade tree that comes with an easy source of food. For a larger property, a Pecan can be a great part of the canopy layer in a forest garden. They are somewhat allelopathic which may limit what can grow under them.