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Woodworkers Source Responds
That's possible. We get our hickory from a supplier in Kentucky. In general, pecan comes from the south, hickory the north so our supplier has ready access to both. Both are in the Carya genus and are indiscernible to the human hand and eye in hardness, color, grain pattern, and density. Which is why they often get put together. You can find a lot of discussion on the internet about it, but this is accepted practice in the industrial distribution channel. Not as a way to "pull one over" on the consumer, but because the only way to tell a difference is at the cellular level. Not by looking at the surface of the boards. As far as botany is concerned, yes, they're different. As far as woodworking is concerned, they're the same.
 
This isn't isolated to hickory and pecan, either. In fact, red oak is sometimes mixed species within the Quercus genus; again, they're the same if all you're comparing is appearance and general hardness, density, and color. And purple heart comes from any number of Peltogyne trees, which is at least 6 different species. Thank you for your comments.