Question
Here in England we don't grow pecan nuts but I have understood that hickory wood(popular for tool shafts)comes from pecan nut tre.Is this so ??

Answer
Hi Simon,
Thanx for your question.  Pecans (Carya illinoinensis) are native to North America from the Midsection of the USA into Mexico.  The pecan is a species of hickory.  Hickory includes a number of species indigenous to the USA and Mexico and China and Indochina.  The hickory also produces a nut and many of them are significant enough to be edible.  They have a smokey flavor while pecans have a buttery flavor.  I think the confusion comes from the fact that hickory and pecan are both of the Carya genus although they are different species.  So, hickory wood comes from hickory trees which are related to pecan trees.  Hickories also produce edible nuts like their cousins the pecans.  By the way, there is a valuable wood harvested also from pecan trees valued for furniture.  I hope this helps.
Tom