'Pawnee' is a cultivar of the native pecan tree in the walnut family (Juglandaceae) and is a cross of 'Mohawk' and 'Starking Hardy Giant'. It was bred by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1963 and released in 1984. It is popular throughout the western and northern growing regions and is growing in popularity in the southeast. This tree grows 20 to 30 feet tall with a 15 to 25 foot spread. It does best in full sun in well-drained moist fertile soil. Choose a permeate spot when planting as it has a deep tap root. Fertilize in spring and prune in late winter to remove weak branches and shape for best fruit production. 'Pawnee' produces large buttery fruits with thin shells in 8 to 10 years that mature in early September. It is a type-1 pollinator and requires type-2 trees for best nut production. It is compatible with 'Cherryle', 'Desirable', 'Elliot', 'Kanza', 'Lakota' and Mandan. It is more cold hardy than other pecan trees. The leaves turn an attractive yellow in the fall. Learn more about selection, planting, and care of pecan trees . Being smaller than other pecan trees makes it more useful as a shade tree. Also grown for its edible fruits. Quick ID Hints: Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound Leaflets are falcate, crenate Insect, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It has good resistance to aphids and to disease and insects in general, but nut scab can be a problem. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Carya illinoinensis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheCarya illinoinensisCarya illinoinensis 'Elliot'Carya illinoinensis 'Kiowa'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Oval; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate, medium green, 4-8" pinnately compound leaf with 9-17 leaflets; yellow fall color. Leaflets are lanceolate with serrate margins. Midrib of leaf and leaflets may be slightly curved. Fewer and longer leaflets than black walnut.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Green
Flower form
Catkin
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Insignificant, monoecious, appear April-May. Male flowers are 4"-long yellow-green catkins, female flowers are shorter spikes.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The pawnee pecan bears large-sized, high-percentage kernel pecans in clusters of 4. Ripens extremely early, in mid to late September. It is sweet and the high oil content adds to the flavor.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
Grey-brown bark and rectangular furrows.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Grey-brown stems, raised lenticels, and pubescent buds in a U-shaped shallow leaf scar.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Fruits feed small mammals and some birds. Larval host plant to the Luna moth. This plant supports Hickory Horndevil (Citheronia regalis) larvae which have one brood and appear from May to mid-September. Adult Hickory Horndevil moths do not feed.