The pecan is the only major tree nut indigenous to North America, native to both northern Mexico and the Southern United States.  Because they require a significant amount of moisture to produce a quality crop, pecan trees are native to river bottoms that flood frequently.  Another limiting factor is the length of the growing season – trees must have a sufficient warm-weather growing period from April through September, which puts North Carolina on the northern fringe of the commercial-improved pecan producing region of the United States.  However, pecans do not grow well in all areas of North Carolina; the best area is the North Carolina Coastal Plain, where Dark Branch Pecans is located.