This past spring the bitter pecan (
Carya aquatica) was the last tree in the arboretum to leaf-out; this should be noteworthy, given the number of species involved. We discussed this issue in a 'tree of the week' post back in May. You can find it
here. At that point, the light-green leaves were still stretching out, and they were accompanied by catkins. Today, in the latter part of July, the mature leaves are providing ample shade, and we see large, developing fruits.
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| The fused-together clump of four bitter pecan trees is pictured center. Their combined canopies provide luxuriant shade. Shortly past noon on a full-sun day, very little light is hitting the ground under these trees. The white light of full-sun exposure can be seen in the background. |
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| The large, compound leaves are catching all of the rays for us. |
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| Among the four bitter pecans, we see some intraspecies variation in the leaves. We see both rounded and pointed tips on leaflets and we see leaflet margins with varying degrees of serration. Differences aside, the bitter pecan leaves are pinnately compound with 9 or 11 leaflets. |
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| Leaflets are lighter underneath. |
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| The leaflets are also fuzzy underneath and along the stems and twigs. |
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| Fuzzy leaf stems alternate along fuzzy twigs. |
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| If you look closely, you should be able to see a few of the peculiar fruits. |
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| The greenness of the unripe fruit blends in with the surrounding foliage. |
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| This is a cluster of three bitter pecan fruits. |
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| Bitter pecan fruits are large and bulbous, but also flattened with four noticeable seams. At this stage of development, they measure approximately an inch in length. The insides are soft, watery, and contain a pressurized sac that will eventually develop and harden into a recognizable nut. |
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| Glossy, dark-green leaves and unripe, light-green fruits of the bitter pecan |
