Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Identifying Features
Plant Family: Juglandaceae
Native Range: Central and Eastern North America
Leaf: deciduous, alternate, pinnately compound with 11-23 leaflets
Twig and Bud: twigs stout with notched leaf scars and small, oval buds
Flower, Fruit and Seed: fruit is a large nut in light green husk that turns black after falling to the ground
Bark: sharply ridged and dark
Shape and Mature Height: long trunk without lower limbs, oval to rounded crown, grows 75-100 feet tall
Garden Value and Considerations
Black walnut trees grow best in moist, rich, well-drained soil. Close consideration should be given to the location when planting black walnut trees as they are hard to transplant. Additionally, black walnut trees produce toxic compounds called juglones that can kill certain plants including azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, peonies, tomatoes and peppers.
Notes
Black Walnut has many uses. The heartwood is used for furniture and veneer. The nuts are edible with a strong and distinctive taste. Their husks have commercial uses and the nut hulls are crushed for commercial abrasives. The nuts are also commonly cached by squirrels for winter consumption and have the highest protein content of any tree nut.
