ExploreTree

Black Walnut

Juglans nigra

The Black Walnut tree has dark bark and produces tasty nuts! It’s a fun tree to explore in the fall.

Habitat: Woodlands and fields

Appearance

The Black Walnut is a tall tree with distinctively dark, deeply furrowed bark that appears almost black and crisscrossed. It has large, compound leaves and produces round, green fruits that resemble limes, each containing a hard-shelled nut.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderFagalesFamilyJuglandaceaeGenusJuglans

Black Walnut

Interesting facts

Its valuable wood is used for fancy furniture, gunstocks, and even airplane propellers!

Native Americans used parts of the tree for food, medicine, and making strong baskets!

Squirrels act as natural planters, burying nuts that grow into new Black Walnut trees!

The green outer hull can be used to make a natural brown dye for cloth and hair!

Special abilities

Black Walnut has a special chemical called juglone in its roots that helps it keep other plants from growing too close, claiming its space.

Black Walnut has super-tough, wrinkled nut shells that protect the delicious kernels inside from hungry animals, making them work for their meal.

Black Walnut can grow a very long taproot that helps it reach deep underground water sources during dry times, helping it survive.

Measurements & details

Height: 20-30 m
Canopy Spread: 15-25 m
Is Edible: Yes
Trunk Diameter: 60-100 cm
Lifespan: 100-250 years
Fruit Type: Drupe
Growth Rate: Medium
Leaf Type: Deciduous

Ecological connections

eats

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

buries and eats its nuts

eats

Humans

Homo sapiens

harvests nuts and timber

parasitizes

Walnut Curculio

Conotrachelus juglandis

damages developing nuts

eats

Fall Webworm

Hyphantria cunea

chews on its leaves

Traits

Deciduous

Discover the magic of plants that shed all their leaves during a particular season, often putting on a spectacular show of fall colors first. They get ready for a fresh start!

Broadleaf Tree

Discover magnificent trees that have wide, flat leaves, unlike the needles of pine trees! These are often the trees that change colors beautifully in autumn.

Nut Bearing

Discover wonderful plants that grow delicious, nutritious nuts, providing tasty snacks for both humans and wildlife.

Fruit Tree

Discover trees that grow delicious fruits, providing a natural bounty of snacks for people and animals alike. Imagine picking an apple right from the branch!

Rapid Growing

Watch these energetic plants grow super fast, quickly transforming spaces and adding lush greenery in a blink of an eye!

Timber

Discover how people use wood from trees to build amazing things, from houses to furniture! It's an important natural resource that helps us every day.