Gerald L. Klingaman
Family
Juglandaceae
Botanical Name
Juglans regia
Plant Common Name
English Walnut
General Description
English walnuts are some of the best-known and popular of all culinary nuts. They are large and have a rich nutty flavor and firm texture. The English walnut tree is a tall, rounded deciduous tree that originates the Carpathian Mountains of eastern Europe and also eastward across Asia to the mid-elevations of the Himalayas and western China. It has been cultivated for its nuts for centuries. The Romans were known to grow and harvest the nuts, and it is suspected that they were cultivated and collected even earlier.
The dark green leaves of walnut are compound and comprised of five to nine smooth, oval leaflets with smooth edges. They are a beautiful coppery red when they first emerge in spring, and they turn muted shades of yellowish green in fall. Mature trees have deeply furrowed, gray bark that is smoother in younger trees.
As the foliage emerges in mid to late-spring, separate male and female flowers appear along the branches. The male flowers, called catkins, dangle downward and are followed by small upright spikes of greenish yellow female flowers. The fruits that follow mature in fall. These are heavy, round, and surrounded by a greenish yellow husk that matures to brown. The hard, brown nut inside can be broken open to reveal delicious nutmeats. Many walnut cultivars have been bred to have thinner shells and larger nutmeats.
Grow English walnut in full sun and loamy soil that is deep and fertile. It is not pH sensitive and prefers soils with average drainage. This becomes a large, shade tree when mature, so it is best planted in expansive lawns or open fields. It is a great nut tree for edible landscapes, but it should not be planted near parking lots or areas frequented by people. The dropping nuts can be dangerous and will litter parking lots and sidewalks. The nuts are also excellent wildlife forage.
This tree is susceptible to walnut blight, which causes black lesions to appear on flowers, shoots, leaves and fruits.
Characteristics
-
AHS Heat Zone
7 - 1
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
4 - 8
-
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
-
Plant Type
Tree
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
-
Height
40'-90' / 12.2m - 27.4m (60)
-
Width
40'-50' / 12.2m - 15.2m (45)
-
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
-
Native To
Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Russia/Siberia, Iran, Central Asia, Southern Asia, Western Asia, India, Nepal, China
