What Is The State Tree of Texas?
Pecan is the State Tree of Texas. Carya illinoinensis is the scientific name of Pecan and it is commonly known as Pecan nut. It is also called sweet pecan and in the areas where the people are spoken in Spanish called nogal morado or nuez encarcelada. Carya is the genus of the Pecans and C. illinoinensis is its species.
The Texas’s State tree Pecan is belongs from the family of Juglandaceae, which is mostly native to south-central North America, in the United States, it is found in many states range from southern Iowa, Illinois and Indiana east to western Kentucky, North Carolina and western Tennessee, south through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas; and in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz.
When a state bodies select a symbol for the state it should be represent extra ordinary design, quality, availability, expression, and usefulness, cultural, traditional and religious back ground, which go back thousands of years or its popularities. It is well-known tree all over the state Texas for its distinctive beauty. On the basis of the facts mentioned above on March 20, 1919, the Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) was adopted as the official State Tree of Texas.
The Facts of the State Tree of Texas [Pecan]
- Common names: Pecan nut.
- Genus: Carya
- Species: Carya illinoinensis
- Found in: Native to south-central North America, in the United States, it is found in many states range from southern Iowa, Illinois and Indiana east to western Kentucky, North Carolina and western Tennessee, south through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas; and in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz.
- Leaf: The leaves of the Pecans are features average green, odd-pinnate, composite leaves, the leaves are alternately arranged, which are in between 30–45 cm long, and pinnate with 9–17 leaflets, each leaflet are in between 5–12 cm long and 2–6 cm wide. Leaves became yellow green when matured in summer, ultimately turning to yellow brown in fall.
- Flower: The flowers of pecan nut are monoecious, non-showy, greenish yellow in color generating in April to May. The male flowers are in pendulous catkins and the female flowers in short spikes.
- Fruit: The fruits of the Pecans are not truly a nut but are technically a drupe, a fruit with a solitary rock or pit, bounded by a husk. The husks are formed from the exocarp hankie of the flower, while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp and restrains the seed. The husk itself is aeneous, which is brassy greenish-gold in color, elliptical to oblong in shape. The outer husk is 3–4 mm thick, begins with the color of green, which is turning to brown at maturity.
- Bark: The pecans trees have an extensive, open canopy and grayish-brown bark. It splits and peels in several occasions when the tree is growing rapidly.
- Purpose: Ornamental
The Texas’s State tree Pecans have best grown in humus, rich, moist, well-drained soils with full sun. According to the University of Arizona, the roots rot or never become established in heavy and soggy soils. The Pecan trees can grow to a huge 100 or 150 feet tall and necessitate abundance of space to grow. So, it is better to avoid planting them near house or sidewalk that may cause damage the cement or pipes through their roots. The pecan tree has to fertilize with nitrogen and zinc annually, but obviously based on the results of a soil test.
The Pecans plant has at least two dissimilar varieties for best cross-pollination to grown for nut production. Nut production can be inadequate in the northern part of its production range, mostly at late spring and if summer is cool. It normally takes 8-10 years for a juvenile tree to produce nut crop. The Pecans plant is a large deciduous lowland tree, which is the largest of the hickories. It typically grows 75-100’ (infrequently to 150’) tall with a large rounded spreading crown. Trunks mature to 2-4’ in diameter.
The pecans seeds are delicious and sweet in taste whether it raw or cooked. An excellent dessert can make by pecans seed and also can add to the ice cream, used in bread, cakes. It can be used to coagulate soups, season corn cakes, hominy as milk form made from its seed. The decoction of the bark has been used to treat Tuberculosis. The crushed leaves have been massage on the skin to treat ringworm.
To sum up, Pecans tree is the people’s favorite State Tree of Texas which outstandingly represents and glorifies the spirit of Texas culture.
Ref:
- http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281352
- http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pecan-tree-bark-falling-off-63352.html
- http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/c/carya-illinoinensis=pecan.php
- http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/texas.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecan
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=cail2
