Types

• Species can have cultivars, or varieties of the main species. A walnut cultivar is still considered a walnut tree, but it has slightly different characteristics which merit a different name. The Center for Agro Forestry recommends over ten different cultivars for growing in Missouri: Lucas; Norton; Canton; Witte; Colby; Shepherd; Pawnee; Major; Chetopa; Greenriver; Maramec.
  
  

History

• R. Douglass Campbell and John H. Gordon of Mother Earth News have stated that pecan trees originated around the areas of Texas and Oklahoma, where American Indians cultivated the trees for their fruit. The tree can now be found outside of North America, but this only happened after the discovery of the New World in the 15th century. The word "pecan" has always been the tree's label in North America, as it is in fact an English transliteration of an Indian word "paccan," which was used for hard-shelled nuts that had to be opened, or cracked, with a stone.
  
  

Features

• Pecan trees found in Missouri, whether cultivated or wild, are smaller than their cousins in the south. Outside of Missouri, the species can reach heights exceeding 100 feet, but in Missouri, the average is around 70 to 80 feet. A Missouri pecan tree produces branches with leaflets, like species found elsewhere. But the Missouri type has 7 to 13 leaflets per branch, while others have 9 to 15. All pecan
  cultivars recommended for Missouri produce fruit, which are oval shaped, light-brown to brown, and are composed of two equal halves of white "meat."
  
  

Location

• Pecan trees can grow in every part of Missouri, but distinctions can be made between trees found in the northern and southern parts of the state. In the southern part of the state, the pecan trees are larger than those in the north. These larger trees produce fruit with a low oil content, which makes the fruit meat dry. The northern, smaller, trees produce fruit with an average to higher than average oil content, which makes the fruit meat moist. These northern trees are thought to be descendants of the pre-Columbian types. The Center for Agro Forestry states that this growth pattern is caused by temperature levels. A high temperature, found within the southern part of the state in the summer months, promotes tree and fruit, nut, growth. The more a fruit grows, or expands, within the shell, the more oil is produced.
  
  

Requirements

• In Missouri, a pecan tree will grow well in soils that promote water drainage. The soil types available are clay and sandy loam. The area that best represents these requirements is found around the Missouri river in the north and central parts of the state. A pecan tree can grow without regular irrigation, but growth and nut production may suffer.