black walnut
Juglans nigra
  • FAMILY: JUGLANDACEAE
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:
  • LEAVES: alternate, deciduous, pinnately compound; 12-24” long, leaflets subopposite, terminal leaflet small; strongly aromatic
  • FLOWER: monoecious, catkins
  • FRUIT: husk globose, 1.5 inch diameter, dark green, stains skin and clothes; corrugated nut, sweet meat
  • TWIGS: large U-shaped leaf scar; chambered pith
  • BARK: dark, deeply furrowed, tight
  • FORM: large tree, 100 feet tall x 4 feet diamater
  • HABITAT: moist, fertile, well-drained sites
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Obligate Upland (UPL): Almost never occurs in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
  • RANGE: eastern US, but not southern coastal plains; more common in northwest Louisiana
  • USES: most valuable eastern hardwood; dark colored, attractive grain, easily worked wood used for high quality furniture and veneer; large defect-free trees may be worth $10,000-40,000; nut is edible and is used by wildlife and humans
  • Best Recognition Features:
    1. large, aromatic, pinnately-compound leaves
    2. twigs with chambered pith
    3. large, round, husked nuts