Pecan, Carya illinoinensis, is a large deciduous tree in the family Juglandaceae grown for its edible seeds (nuts). The pecan tree has a thick gray-brown trunk which can reach 2 m (6.6 ft) in diameter and a rounded canopy that spreads . The bark is ridged and has a scaly appearance. The twigs of the tree are red-brown in color and the foliage is dark green. The leaves are pinnately divided and composed of 9–17 oblonglanceolate leaflets. Each leaflet has as serrated margin and a downward curving tip. The tree produces separate male and female catkins with the male producing pollen and the female developing into the fruit.

The male catkin is slender and pendulous, measuring 22–50 cm (8.7–19.7 in) in length and the female catkins are much smaller and prossess 3-6 flowers in a cluster. The fruit is an oval-oblong drupe containing a single seed surrounded by a thin shell. The outer husk (shuck) is green, turning brown-black when mature at which point it
also splits open to release the nut. The edible kernel of the nut is light brown in color and ridged longitudinally. Pecan trees can reach a height of 40–50 m (131–164 ft) and can live for several hundred years in a wild state. Commercial trees usually have an economic lifespan of approximately 25 years. Pecan originates from the North America, specifically, the South