Thomas Jefferson recognized the value of this native tree. In Notes on the State of Virginia, Jefferson’s only published book, he listed “Paccan, or Illinois Nut” among the “esculent” species, and he encouraged his friends in America and abroad to cultivate it. At Monticello, Pecan nuts were planted numerous times in the nursery and the South Orchard; and Jefferson envisioned establishing a Pecan orchard as well. The fruits are also nutritious and beneficial to mammals and birds; and the tree is the larval host of the gray hairstreak butterfly.
Contact The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at
Email chp@monticello.org
Phone 434-984-9819
