Carya illinoinensis 'Forkert'
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KAIR-yuh il-ih-noy-NEN-sis
- Description
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'Forkert' is a cultivar of the Carya illinoinensis pecan tree that is recommended in the southeast United States. This cultivar is noted for the consistent quality of its nuts, which are large, with a thin shell that is easy to crack making it a popular nut in the "in-shell" market.
'Forkert' is a hardy pecan that grows best in full sun to partial shade. It tolerates clay, sand, and loam soils—alkaline or acidic—as long as they are well drained. It has high drought tolerance. Learn more about selection, planting, and care of pecan trees.
'Forkert' will usually grow 50 to 100 feet tall with a spread of 30 to 75 feet. The largest of the hickories, this deciduous tree has a uniform, symmetrical, broadly oval crown and is massively-branched. Large major limbs grow up and out from the trunk in a distinctive upright, spreading fashion. On older trees, lower branches become wide and sweeping, with their tips almost touching the ground. Trunks can grow to 6 feet in diameter.
Pollination is the second most important factor in purchasing pecan trees. Pecan trees are monoecious: meaning they have separate male and female flowers on the same tree. Pollen is not released when flowers are receptive, so pollination within and between the same cultivars is limited. Cultivars are separated into type I and type II for pollination purposes. 'Forkert' is a Type II pecan. For optimum pollination, NC State Extension recommends planting at least three cultivars with at least one of each pollination type for best cross-pollination.
Due to its size, this is a tree most appropriate for a large property. It makes a good shade tree in a naturalized, woodland, or recreational area and as part of a children’s, edible, or pollinator garden.
Quick ID Hints:
- Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound
- Leaflets are falcate, crenate
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Aphids, pecan weevils, stink bugs, twig girdlers, and fall webworms can cause some issues. It has a poor resistance to scab which can infect both nuts and foliage, but scab-resistant cultivars are available. Pecans are known for their brittle branches prone to breakage, especially in wind, and late frosts can reduce nut production.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Carya
- Species:
- illinoinensis
- Family:
- Juglandaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- 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.
- Play Value:
- Buffer
- Edible fruit
- Screening
- Shade
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wind Break
- Edibility:
- Nuts are edible fresh or cooked. Harvest when husk opens and releases nut. Before storing, dry pecans in paper or burlap bags hung in an area with good air movement. Freeze for long-term storage.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 70 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 75 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Oval
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- It bears long nut with a thin husk in a cluster of 4. The percentage of kernel is high. Sweet edible nuts with a husk that splits into four sections when they ripen in the fall. Husk begins green and dries to brown. The nut is oval to round, 1-3" long, tan to brown with darker streaking.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Insignificant, monoecious, appear April-May. Male flowers are 4"-long yellow-green catkins, female flowers are shorter spikes.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The green leaves are alternate and pinnate 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.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Rectangle
- Bark Description:
- Grey-brown bark and rectangular furrows.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Bud Scales:
- No scales, covered in hair
- Stem Leaf Scar Shape:
- Encircles a bud
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Grey-brown stems, raised lenticels, and pubescent buds in a U-shaped, usually shallow, leaf scar.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Attracts:
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Problems:
- Messy
