The Pecan ( Carya illinoinensis ) is a species of hickory nut , native to south-central North America , in the United States from southern Iowa , Illinois and Indiana east to western Kentucky , North Carolina and western Tennessee , south through Georgia , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , Texas , Oklahoma and Arkansas ; and in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz . The pecan ( , , or ) , Carya illinoinensis , is a species of hickory , native to south-central North America , in Mexico from Coahuila south to Jalisco and Veracruz , in the United States from southern Iowa , Illinois , Missouri , and Indiana east to western Kentucky , North Carolina , South Carolina , and western Tennessee , south through Georgia , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , Texas , Oklahoma , Arkansas , and Florida , and west into New Mexico .