The pecan is a large tree, up to 100 feet in height, and with trunk diameter up to 6 feet. It is native in the lower Mississippi Valley and westward through Texas, and in northern Mexico.
Leaves are large and compound, with a dozen or more long-oval, near glabrous leaflets.
The fruits are generally oval, up to 2.5 inches long, and fairly smooth. The outer husk is fleshy early, becoming fibrous and splitting open at maturity. The shells are relatively thin, hard and woody. The kernel separates rather readily. Improved varieties are widely cultivated.