Pecan seedlings: from simple to compond leaves

  

    As you might recall, I am growing a bunch of pecan seedlings in containers this summer. As my seedlings germinated, the first leaves produced by the new trees had a single blade; very different than the normal compound leaves we see growing on pecan. Now my seedling trees have grown taller they are starting to produce compound leaves (photo at right). The first compound leaf has a large terminal leaflet with only two small leaflets below. Above that, another compound leaf is starting to grow and expand. This leaf will have five leaflets.
    In just a few weeks time, my nursery of container-grown seedling will actually look like a forest of small pecan trees. Before long, every tree should be producing compound leaves.