Difference between pecan and water hickory

[Reaper87]

How do you guys tell the difference between these two trees before they produce nuts. I’ve got a bunch that have started growing in a flood plane but I cant tell if they are pecans or water hickory. Google doesn’t really yield a determining factor. Is there a good way to tell? I even went and looked at different trees that I know are pecan and water hickory but they are more mature and have seen the nuts that they have so I know what species they are and still can’t tell.

[Briar Friar]

Might they be black walnut?

Split a nice sized leaf latitudinally (horizontally left and right…not vertically) down the middle of the petiole. I forget which is which…concerning species and petiole segmentation. The segmentation of the petiole or lack of segmention is a place to start. Remember Carya sp. have compound leaves…not simple.

Its been a while…forgive me if Im off a bit…you might need to split a green twig and check the segmentation.

[Pstraw]

The leaves on a hickory will be a little longer than the pecan.

[OldRiverRat]

Might they be black walnut?

Split a nice sized leaf latitudinally (horizontally left and right…not vertically) down the middle of the petiole. I forget which is which…concerning species and petiole segmentation. The segmentation of the petiole or lack of segmention is a place to start. Remember Carya sp. have compound leaves…not simple.

Its been a while…forgive me if Im off a bit…you might need to split a green twig and check the segmentation.

Ummm, now I’m even more confused [emoji2369] [emoji3]


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[Reaper87]

Might they be black walnut?

Split a nice sized leaf latitudinally (horizontally left and right…not vertically) down the middle of the petiole. I forget which is which…concerning species and petiole segmentation. The segmentation of the petiole or lack of segmention is a place to start. Remember Carya sp. have compound leaves…not simple.

Its been a while…forgive me if Im off a bit…you might need to split a green twig and check the segmentation.

Definitely not a black walnut. These trees produce the flat looking nuts. Sometimes they are referred to as the bitter pecan trees.

[Reaper87]

The leaves on a hickory will be a little longer than the pecan.

From what I can tell the water hickory is remarkably similar to the native pecan. Even comparing the known species is very hard for me to determine a difference. However while googling it apparently the trees can cross pollinate and actually develop a hybrid with characteristics from both species. And this bottom land is loaded with both trees so maybe that’s what I’ve got coming up?

[Pstraw]

Where are these trees located? County?

[Lostacresranch]

From what I can tell the water hickory is remarkably similar to the native pecan. Even comparing the known species is very hard for me to determine a difference. However while googling it apparently the trees can cross pollinate and actually develop a hybrid with characteristics from both species. And this bottom land is loaded with both trees so maybe that’s what I’ve got coming up?

A water hickory and bitter pecan are the same tree. If the nuts are flattened, it’s a bitter pecan. (I’ll use that term because that’s what I grew up calling them). Native “regular” pecan trees look similar when young. If you have a lot in a wet flat area, I bet you a box of donuts it’s a bunch of bitter pecans.

[Reaper87]

Where are these trees located? County?

Lee county on the yegua creek bottom.

[Reaper87]

A water hickory and bitter pecan are the same tree. If the nuts are flattened, it’s a bitter pecan. (I’ll use that term because that’s what I grew up calling them). Native “regular” pecan trees look similar when young. If you have a lot in a wet flat area, I bet you a box of donuts it’s a bunch of bitter pecans.

We always called them hog pecans because that’s all that would eat them. And they are too young to produce nuts yet. The only reason I’m asking is I want/need to put an annual food plot there and I don’t want to bulldoze them all if they are native pecan. I don’t care if they are bitter pecan. If they are native pecan I cringe at the thought of killing them all. And you’re probably correct on them being bitter pecan but I have no way of being 100% certain.

[Lostacresranch]

We always called them hog pecans because that’s all that would eat them. And they are too young to produce nuts yet. The only reason I’m asking is I want/need to put an annual food plot there and I don’t want to bulldoze them all if they are native pecan. I don’t care if they are bitter pecan. If they are native pecan I cringe at the thought of killing them all. And you’re probably correct on them being bitter pecan but I have no way of being 100% certain.

“Bitter pecans” are aggressive growers compared to pecans. That’s why if you find a bunch of smaller trees in an area, it’s likely to be bitter pecans. In Louisiana, a timber cutter told me at least 20% of all hardwood stands are composed of bitter pecans, and my tract was almost 50% of all the hardwoods. The leaves are smooth on upper and lower sides. In pecans, there are tiny hairs on one or both sides.
If it was me, I would consider how big the trees are, how dense, and how long I was willing to wait for them to mature. That food plot might give you more wildlife enhancement in the next decade.

[Briar Friar]

https://cgru.usda.gov/carya/

Mr Reaper… You might call the office and visit with someone…and/or dig around the USDA site. I think Dr Grauke is retired but you might try anyhow.