Pecan, Carya Illinoinensis, Tree Seeds (Hardy, Edible Nuts) 8 Seeds Pecan is a large long lived deciduous lowland tree, the largest of the hickories. It typically grows 75 to 100 feet tall is massive-trunked with stout branches supporting a symmetrical, oval to rounded crown. Trunks mature to 2 to 4 feet in diameter. It is native to the Central United States and is the state tree of Texas. The stately Pecan Tree makes a wonderful shade tree, with its tall, straight bole and rounded crown of feathery foliage. A single specimen will make a homeowner proud. The nuts are sweet and edible. They are eaten by a wide range of wildlife species, including ducks, quail, wild turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, foxes, raccoons, and mice. Plan for its ultimate size though, most people who grow pecans for the nut crop plant them 30 to 40 feet apart and expect to thin every 50 years or so. The Pecan is a moderate growing tree that takes 8 to 15 years before it starts bearing and requires a frost free period of 6 to 9 months for its nuts to mature. Best production occurs on trees 75 to 225 years old, and mature trees can produce 400 to 1000 pounds of nuts per year! Pecans are sometimes grafted onto the roots of other hickories (e.g., Carya cordiformis) so that they can be planted further north of their normal growing range. The nuts of the hickory were a staple for many North American Indian tribes. They mashed the nuts with water and then used the "hickory milk" to make breads and cakes, and to serve like butter on vegetables. Sugar and syrup can be made from the sap, as with sugar maple. The wood is so heavy and dense that it has nearly as much heating capacity as soft coal. It is used for smoking hams, bacon, sausage and other meats and for making high quality charcoal, as well as for furniture, tool handles, baseball bats, and (formerly) wagon wheels. Andrew Jackson, 7th president of the U. S., was affectionately known as Old Hickory in recognition of his tough character.