Carolina Nature

Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Plantae>Magnoliophyta>Magnoliopsida>Juglandales>Juglandaceae>Juglans nigra L.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Black Walnut is a fairly common large tree of bottomland forests, familiar for its edible nuts and valuable wood. The long, pinnately compound leaves are distinctively fragrant. The most similar trees are Butternut (Juglans cinerea) and Pecan (Carya illinoinensis).

Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) leaves

Newly emerging leaves are a bit shorter, of course.

Madison Co., NC 4/9/2012.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Flowers appear as the leaves are expanding, in mid-spring.

Madison Co., NC 4/9/2012.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) flowers

Madison Co., NC 4/9/2012.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) nuts

The fragrant fruits are large and ball-shaped.

Orange Co., NC 7/20/07.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) nuts

These green-husked fruits turn yellow when fully ripe, then black, and can be used to stain fabric.

Orange Co., NC 7/20/07.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Orange Co., NC 9/20/02.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

The bark of large, old trees is very dark and rough.

Orange Co., NC 9/20/02.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) bark

Bark of a younger tree.

Orange Co., NC 7/20/07.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) bark

Grayson Co., VA 5/30/2009.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Madison Co., NC 4/9/2012.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

A large tree with blackish bark.

Orange Co., NC 11/4/2012.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

The bark of medium-sized trees is gray with diamond-shaped ridges.

Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Orange Co., NC 5/3/08.

More information:
Hilton Pond Center
US Forest Service Silvics Manual
Virginia Tech Dendrology

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