Pecan Tree #7

'Pawnee' is a cultivar of Carya illinoinensis, Hardy Pecan, and is a large shade tree that bears high quality pecans.  'Pawnee' is noted for its large nut size and early harvest (usually early September). Once mature (after 8 to 10 years), it is a top producer of medium to large nuts. It has good resistance to aphids and to disease and insects in general, but nut scab can be a problem. 'Pawnee' is a Type I pecan and requires two cultivars for pollinating.

 Grows best in full sun. It tolerates clay and sand if well drained, but does best in loam soils with a pH of 6.0-6.5. 

Pecan trees can reach up to 130 feet in height; 'Pawnee', however, tends to be smaller with a height of 30 feet and a spread of 25 feet. Pecan trees have a uniform, symmetrical, broadly oval crown and is massively-branched. Large major limbs grow up and out from the trunk in a distinctive upright, spreading fashion. On older trees, lower branches become wide-sweeping, with their tips almost touching the ground. Trunks can grow to 6 feet in diameter. Pollination is the second most important factor in purchasing pecan trees. Pecan trees are monoecious: they have separate male and female flowers on the same tree. Pollen is not released when flowers are receptive, so pollination within and between the same cultivars is limited. Cultivars are separated into type I and type II for pollination purposes.

Due to its size, this is a tree most appropriate for a large property. It makes a good shade tree in a naturalized, woodland, or recreational area and as part of a children’s, edible, or pollinator garden.