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Article #40: The Impact Of Famous Americans On The American Native Nut Tree, The Pecan, Carya Illinoinensis

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Historically, the native American pecan President Thomas Jefferson was an
nut tree was one of the most significant important promoter and planter of
plant discoveries that positively agricultural crops, plants, shrubs, and
influenced U.S. agriculture and trees. When Thomas Jefferson was
commercial food production to provide a appointed as the chief American
nut product, highly nutritious, representative in France, he understood
inexpensive to produce, and with a that to become a great nation, the young
delicate distinctive flavor, unrivaled by American republic must research and
any other nut. The pecan nut was well develop colonial agriculture. Thomas
known by the early American Indian tribes Jefferson introduced many at the time
as a food source for the American Indian unknown crops in the United States, such
families, and the Indian hunters knew as grains, vegetables, fruit trees, berry
that during the fall and winter, when the bushes, nut trees, grapevines, and a host
pecan nuts fell to the ground, this of perennial bushes, trees, and flower
collectible food source also attracted bulbs. Not only did President Thomas
hungry wildlife, such as duck, deer, Jefferson develop his personal garden and
squirrels, and a host of other animals orchard, but he arranged for shipments to
that were hunted and eaten by the be received by colonists and planters
Indians. Although the pecan nut tree is along the Eastern Seaboard. President
native to the flood plains along the Jefferson created much good will in
Mississippi River, and normally did not European capitals by supplying them with
occur as a native tree in the Eastern exports of tobacco seed, citrus trees,
United States, the American Indians soon American native nut trees, and native
learned that seedling (wild) pecan nuts grapevines such as the muscadine and
would sprout and form bearing trees, when scuppernong grape vines.
they explored and visited tribes further Jefferson left extensive records in
East. There are gigantic notable seedling writings of his from the State of
trees of pecan that presumably were Virginia: "Note on the State of Virginia,
planted by the American Indians that Thomas Jefferson 1787, #VI, A notice of
today are hundreds of years old, the mines and other subterranean riches;
predating the arrival of the early its trees, plants, fruit, etc." Thomas
American pioneers. Archaeological Jefferson noted that in his orchard he
excavations from Baker's Cave, near Val had planted pecan trees, Carya
Verde County, Texas, reveal that pecan illinoinensis.
nuts and pecan leaves were discovered in It is very interesting that Thomas
association with human relics that date Jefferson referred to the pecan, Carya
to at least 3000 B.C., and perhaps as old illinoinensis, as "Paccan, or Illinois
as 6000 B.C. This American archaeological nut. Not described by Linnaeus Millar or
evidence strongly suggests that the pecan Clayton. Were I to venture to describe
nut was one of nature's earliest sources this speaking of the fruit from memory,
of recorded food use by Native Americans and of the leaf from plants of two years
Indians. - that may even predate recorded growth, I should specify it as the
food use by Europe, Asia, or even at the Juglans alba, foliolis lanceolatis,
ancient Egyptian pyramids. acuminatis, serratis, tomentosis, fructu
Early American historical records show minore, ovato, compresso, vix insculpto,
that pecan nut trees were offered for dulci, putamine, tenerrimo. It grows on
sale at America's first nursery that was the on the Illinois, Wabash, Ohio, and
established in Flushing, New York, in Mississippi. It is spoken of by Don Ulloa
1737, by the founder, Robert Prince. It under the name of Pacanos, in his
is well known that General George Noticias Americanas. Entret. 6."
Washington visited this nursery, and that Jefferson referenced Dr. Clayton of
the famous explorers, Lewis and Clark, Virginia as "our great botanist whose
brought back seed and collected plants published book, Flora Virginiea, by
from their Western explorations, to Gronovius press at Leyden in the year
supply future shrubs and trees to the 1762." Thomas Jefferson praised Dr.
Prince Nursery in New York. Clayton as spending his life describing
John Bartram, an associate of Benjamin and exploring plants. "Dr Clayton
Franklin, both from Philadelphia, Penn., enlarged the botanical catalog almost as
collected pecan nut trees for their much as any man that had lived, including
personal nut and fruit tree orchards. The Linaeus."
famous American explorer and botanist, Thomas Jefferson had a great interest in
William Bartram, son of John Bartram, set other nuts and nut trees besides the
out in 1773, financed by English pecan nut trees, Carya illinoinensis,
noblemen, to collect plants and to write that he recorded.
a book, Travels, concerning the native "Black walnut, Juglans nigra, White
trees and plants, and to research the walnut, Juglans alba, Chestnut, Fagus
habitat of the American Indians in the cestaneas, Chinquapin, Fagus pumila,
abandoned territories of the Spaniards, Hazlenut, Corylus avellana, almonds."
after Spain was defeated by the English "Scaly bark hiccory, Juglans alba cortice
warships. In William Bartram's book, squamose, Clayton, common hiccory,
Travels, he noted, page 437, that two Juglans alba, fructu minore rancido,
large pecan nut trees were observed by Clayton."
him to be growing in a garden at Mobile, A few great American forefathers had a
Alabama. Bartram in his Travels book also permanent influence on the development of
wrote prolifically about various other nut tree commerce enriching the farmers
nuts and nut trees such as chestnut trees and the world of agriculture. The names
native to America. Castanea, "Hiccory" of Robert Prince, Benjamin Franklin,
(Hickory Trees), "Juglans exaltata" Lewis and Clark, George Washington, John
(Hazelnut American), Corylus, also called and William Bartram, and Thomas
the American filbert, "Juglans hickory" Jefferson, reside in the annals of
(Black Walnut), "Juglans nigra." agricultural fame of the United States.






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