Carya illinoinensis 'Kiowa'
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KAIR-yuh il-ih-noy-NEN-sis
- Description
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'Kiowa' is a cultivar of the native pecan tree in the walnut family (Juglandaceae). It was named after the native Kiowa tribe.
'Kiowa' grows 75 to 100 feet tall and spreads 40 to 75 feet wide. It does best in full sun to partial shade in rich, moist well-drained soils. It has high drought tolerance once established. The deep taproot makes it unsuitable to transplant, so choose a permeate planting site. Fertilize each spring and prune in late winter to remove weak limbs and shape for best fruit production.
This tree produces large thin-shelled high-quality nuts yearly until it matures then produces alternate years. It is a type-2 pollinator, so it needs a type-1 for fertilization. Appropriate cultivars include 'Cape Fear', 'Creek', 'Desirable', 'Gafford' or 'Mandan'. NC State Extension recommends planting at least three cultivars with at least one of each pollination type for best cross-pollination. Learn more about selection, planting, and care of pecan trees.
Use this tree in a large yard for shade or for edible fruits. Small mammals also love the fruits.
Insect, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This tree is susceptible to wind damage.A phids, pecan weevils, stink bugs, twig girdlers, and fall webworms can cause some issues. Scab can infect both nuts and foliage, but 'Kiowa' is a scab-resistant cultivar. Pecans are known for their brittle branches prone to breakage, especially in wind, and late frosts can reduce nut production.
VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed 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.
- 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
- 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)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- 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:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Cream/Tan
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- It produces a little darker desirable-shaped nuts with high kernel percentage. 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 with a pointed end, 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:
- 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.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- 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
- Recreational Play Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Attracts:
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Problems:
- Messy
