How Many Different Kinds of Pecans are There?
How many different kinds of pecans are there? There are many, many different varieties of pecans that are now or have been available over the years. In fact, you'd be surprised at how high this number is.
Texas Pecans.org indicates that throughout the history of pecan growth, over 1000 different seedlings have been used or grafted to create different varieties of pecans. Of course, not all of these varieties still exist or are grown today and only a limited number of the 1000-plus varieties of pecans are readily cultivated.
Most sources (including Nuts About Pecans) indicate that approximately 500 varieties of pecans still exist today.
Growing Pecans
A large number of the different varieties of pecans can be found in the United States, which is one of the world’s largest producers of pecans.
Some of the names of various pecan varieties available in the United States include:
- The Apache
- Cheyenne
- Cape Fear
- Success
- Choctaw
- Kiowa
- Pawnee
- Mohawk
- Western 54
- Colby
- Busseron
- Major
- Indiana
- Jackson
- Stuart
- Desirable
- Barton
- Comanche
- Wichita
- Select
- Posednik
- Western varieties
The main difference between the different varieties of pecans is the size and taste of the fully grown pecan once the nut has matured. Some of these varieties have also been specially grown and genetically modified or cross bred in order to produce certain characteristics, such as being able to be grown in places where pecans normally cannot be grown.
Most pecans are grown in the southern United States, and Georgia and Texas are two large pecan producing states. Pecans are popular in a number of different recipes, such as pecan pie, although they are also delicious on their own or in cookies or other baked goods.