Photo by Sam Kieschnick on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Wild pecans
Carya illinoinensis
- When
- Typically October – November — October, November. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- River bottoms and old plantings through Texas, the lower Mississippi and the south.
- How to know it
- Tall tree with long compound leaves; thin-shelled nuts in husks that split into four neat sections.
- Look-alikes
- Bitternut hickory is inedibly bitter; its husk splits only partway and the nut is nearly round.
- Harvest and use
- Native seedling pecans are small but far richer than orchard varieties.
Found in these regions
- Gulf Coast & Mississippi Lowlands
- Central Hardwoods & Interior Plateaus
- Southeastern Piedmont & Coastal Plain
- Prairies & Great Plains
Hardiness zones 6–9.
Is it ready near you?
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Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.