Pecan Nut Tree ( Carya Illinoinensis) 5 seeds
The Pecan Tree
Carya Illinoinensis
The pecan tree is a large deciduous tree, growing to 20–40 m (65-130 ft) in height, rarely to 44 m (145 ft). However taller trees have been known to exist to 50–55 m (165-180 ft) this has been claimed, but not verified. It typically has a spread of 12-23 m (40-75 ft) with a trunk up to 2 m (10 ft) diameter.
A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 5 m (16 ft) tall.
The leaves are alternate, 40–70 cm long, and pinnate with 9–17 leaflets, each leaflet 5–12 cm long and 2–6 cm broad. The flowers are wind-pollinated, and monoecious, with staminate and pistillate catkins on the same tree. The male catkins are pendulous, up to 18 cm long; the female catkins are small, with three to six flowers clustered together.
The fruit is an oval to oblong nut, 3–6 cm long and 2–3 cm wide.The nut itself is dark brown. The rough husk or pod is 3–4 mm thick that starts out green and turns brown at maturity. At this stage the pod splits off in four sections to release the thin-shelled nut. Pecans, like the fruit of all other members of the hickory genus, are not true nuts but technically a drupe (fruit with a single stone or pit). The husks or pods are produced from the exocarp tissue of the flower while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp.
Pecan trees may live and bear edible nuts for more than three hundred years.
The nuts of the Pecan are edible, with a rich, buttery flavour. They can be eaten fresh or used in cooking, particularly in sweet desserts but also in some savoury dishes. One of the most common desserts with the pecan as a central ingredient is the pecan pie, a traditional southern U.S. recipe. Pecans are also a major ingredient in praline candy, most often associated with New Orleans.[8]
In addition to the pecan nut, the wood is also used in making furniture, in hardwood flooring, as well as flavouring fuel for smoking meats.
The U.S. alone produces between 80% and 95% of the world's pecans production, with an annual crop of 150–200 thousand tons.
Outside the United States, pecans are grown in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Peru and South Africa.
They can be grown any where summers are hot and humid.
Nutrition
Pecans
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 690 kcal 2890 kJ
Carbohydrates 14g
Dietary fibre 10 g
Fat saturated 6 g
monounsaturated 41 g
polyunsaturated 22 g
Protein 9g
Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. A diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstone in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans have been known to reduce high cholesterol by reducing the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, findings that have been confirmed by the University of Georgia.
Clinical research published in the Journal of Nutrition (September 2001) found that eating about a handful of pecans each day may help lower cholesterol levels similar to what is often seen with cholesterol-lowering medications.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged this and related research and approved the following qualified health claim: "Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pecans, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."
Carya Illinoinensis
The pecan tree is a large deciduous tree, growing to 20–40 m (65-130 ft) in height, rarely to 44 m (145 ft). However taller trees have been known to exist to 50–55 m (165-180 ft) this has been claimed, but not verified. It typically has a spread of 12-23 m (40-75 ft) with a trunk up to 2 m (10 ft) diameter.
A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 5 m (16 ft) tall.
The leaves are alternate, 40–70 cm long, and pinnate with 9–17 leaflets, each leaflet 5–12 cm long and 2–6 cm broad. The flowers are wind-pollinated, and monoecious, with staminate and pistillate catkins on the same tree. The male catkins are pendulous, up to 18 cm long; the female catkins are small, with three to six flowers clustered together.
The fruit is an oval to oblong nut, 3–6 cm long and 2–3 cm wide.The nut itself is dark brown. The rough husk or pod is 3–4 mm thick that starts out green and turns brown at maturity. At this stage the pod splits off in four sections to release the thin-shelled nut. Pecans, like the fruit of all other members of the hickory genus, are not true nuts but technically a drupe (fruit with a single stone or pit). The husks or pods are produced from the exocarp tissue of the flower while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp.
Pecan trees may live and bear edible nuts for more than three hundred years.
The nuts of the Pecan are edible, with a rich, buttery flavour. They can be eaten fresh or used in cooking, particularly in sweet desserts but also in some savoury dishes. One of the most common desserts with the pecan as a central ingredient is the pecan pie, a traditional southern U.S. recipe. Pecans are also a major ingredient in praline candy, most often associated with New Orleans.[8]
In addition to the pecan nut, the wood is also used in making furniture, in hardwood flooring, as well as flavouring fuel for smoking meats.
The U.S. alone produces between 80% and 95% of the world's pecans production, with an annual crop of 150–200 thousand tons.
Outside the United States, pecans are grown in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Peru and South Africa.
They can be grown any where summers are hot and humid.
Nutrition
Pecans
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 690 kcal 2890 kJ
Carbohydrates 14g
Dietary fibre 10 g
Fat saturated 6 g
monounsaturated 41 g
polyunsaturated 22 g
Protein 9g
Pecans are a good source of protein and unsaturated fats. A diet rich in nuts can lower the risk of gallstone in women. The antioxidants and plant sterols found in pecans have been known to reduce high cholesterol by reducing the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, findings that have been confirmed by the University of Georgia.
Clinical research published in the Journal of Nutrition (September 2001) found that eating about a handful of pecans each day may help lower cholesterol levels similar to what is often seen with cholesterol-lowering medications.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged this and related research and approved the following qualified health claim: "Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pecans, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."