Black Walnut

This magnificent shade tree reaching 75-100' comes to us from the rich woods and streambeds of the eastern United States. It is a beautiful tree with deeply-furrowed bark and large compound leaves which release a strong, spicy scent when crushed. This is an endlessly useful tree for food, dye and timber. The straight-grained wood has traditionally been used for cradles, furniture and gunstocks. The nutmeat is considered by many to have the best flavor; however, extracting the nut can be quite difficult. Black walnut trees can also be tapped like a maple and the sap drunk or concentrated in syrup. These wonderful heritage trees tend to be messy and they secrete toxins into the soil which are harmful to some other plants, so they are best planted out in the back of the property. S/M

The delicious Black Walnut nuts must be gathered early, before squirrels and other wildlife can consume them. Of all the native nut trees of North America, the Black Walnut is the most valuable. Some plants do not survive near mature trees due to juglone, a natural herbicide produced by the tree. An exception may be Osage Orange so that may be a good understory choice. Juglone is bad for horses. Black walnut is slow-growing especially if not in its preferred moist, fertile, sunny site. The deep tap-root makes transplanting difficult. Nuts may become a nuisance as they litter and stain. Foliage is often attacked by caterpillars, and the species is susceptible to anthracnose which defoliates trees for the season.

Everyone's grandma had a walnut table, but the craftsmen who made them are increasingly scarce, and trees of size to cut 16-inch wide boards are too valuable these days to survive much longer on private property unless grandma has her rolling pin handy. Tough, slow-growing American native. We grow these as rootstocks for the cut leaf variety 'Laciniata', a highly ornamental form that's extremely hard to locate in the trade.