The Impact Of Famous Americans On The American Native Nut Tree, The Pecan, Carya Illinoinensis

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