'Lipan' is a hybrid pecan in the walnut family (Juglandaceae) released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service. It was named after the Lipan Apache, a Native American tribe. It is a cross between the 'Cheyenne' and 'Pawnee' cultivars. 'Lipan' is a type I pecan and will need to be planted with a type II tree for pollination. The tree is vigorous with a high yield and is resistant to wind breakage and pecan scab. It will grow 70 to 100 feet tall and 40 to 75 feet wide. See the NC State guide, "Growing Pecans in North Carolina," to the left. "Lipan' need 350 to 500 chilling hours to set fruit properly. The spring flowers are followed by large nuts with a thin, easy-to-crack tan shell that matures in mid-October. Nut meats are light golden and have an excellent flavor. The tree is appropriate for orchards or large yards. Keep in mind you must have rooom for 2 large trees for good nut production. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids, pecan weevils, stink bugs, twig girdlers, and fall webworms can cause some issues. Diseases include powdery mildew, leaf spot and downy spot. See Clemson's publication on diseases of pecans . 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 illinoinensis 'Caddo'Pyrus communis 'Hosui'Pyrus communis 'Potomac'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
USDA zones
5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
more than 60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 70 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in. | Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 75 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Rounded
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
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 curved. Fewer and longer leaflets than black walnut.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form
Catkin; Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
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
Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Nut
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Large nuts with a tan shell that is thin and easy to crack. Nut meats are light golden and have an excellent flavor.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
Grey-brown bark and rectangular furrows.
Stem detail
Grey-brown stems, raised lenticels, and pubescent buds in a U-shaped leaf scar.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Wildlife will eat the nuts.
Attracts
Small Mammals
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Nuts
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Nut
Edibility
The nuts have a good flavor
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Meadow
Landscape theme
Edible Garden
Design feature
Shade Tree
Garden tags
#edible garden #fanz #pecan #frequent insect problems #frequent disease problems #deciduous tree #mammals #edible nuts #edible fruit #vhfn #shade tree #high maintenance
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Growing Pecans in North Carolina; Black Pecan Aphid