Pecan

Carya illinoinensis

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Pecan is a large tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 60–75 ft tall and 60–75 ft wide. It wants full sun and high water, and handles caliche and clay soil. Blooms yellow in early spring. Good for butterflies.

Will it grow in your yard?

Enter your ZIP. The finder checks Pecan against your microclimate, then ranks it against your sun, your watering and deer pressure.

From our guide

Village of the Hills

Large spreading tree with compound leaves, the state tree, and nuts in good years.

Why it works here

Deep shade, long life, and a crop. In deep soil along a creek it becomes the defining tree of a property.

Watch out

Needs deep soil and real water — on thin caliche it is a permanent disappointment. Aphid honeydew coats cars. Alternate-bears.

The facts

10 sources

Type: Large tree
Sun: Full sun (6+ hrs)
Water: High
Height: 60–75 ft
Spread: 60–75 ft
Bloom: Early Spring · yellow
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Takes caliche and clay · recorded on deep, moist
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Nuts draw deer; saplings need protection.
Wildlife: Supports butterflies

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesSan Antonio Prairie

1,968 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 15, 30, 45 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.