May 10. 1919 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



21 



The Distribution of Walnut 



American Black Walnut Shows Marked Superiority to All Foreign Species 



By William H. Lamb, U. S. Forest Service 



HE GREAT DEMAND for walnut created by the Juglans australis. It is found in Tucuman, Salta and 

 war has caused special attention to be focused Jujuy. Usually it does not exceed a height of 50 to 60 

 on this premier cabinet wood and has led to feet nor a diameter of 7 feet. The bark is used for tan- 

 many attempts to bring in "just as good" substi- ning and for coloring. 

 tutes. While some of these species have merit, many Juglans mexicana has been reported as occurring in 

 have not either because character and physical properties tropical South America. This may be an error, but as 

 are lacking or because the available supply would not this species is the most closely related to our black ■wa]- 

 work out to the advantage of buyers who might try out nut (J. nigra), the report is interesting as indicating a 

 some of these offerings. TTie following listing is a com- probability that the tropical American walnut may be 



plete analysis of species which the w^ave of increasing 

 popularity of American black vi^alnut might bring in from 

 foreign sources to be sold as or with walnut. 



Our native species are well known. They are the black 

 walnut (Juglans nigra) and the w^hite walnut or butter- 

 nut (Juglans cinerea) of the eastern United States and 

 the California walnut (Juglans californica) and the 

 Mexican walnut (Juglans rupestris) of the ^vestern United 



of the desired "black" variety. 



WEST INDIES 

 The West Indian vv'alnut is Juglans insularis. It occurs 

 in Cuba in the woodlands of Oriente, Santa Clara, and 

 Pinar del Rio. Locally it is known as "Nogal Del Pais." 

 It is reported as reaching a height of 60 feet and a 

 diameter of 3 feet. As some authorities have regarded 

 the species as identical with our native butternut, the 



States. Some authorities regard the Mexican vi'alnut as wood probably has similar qualities. 



really consisting of two species: one called the Texas 

 walnut for which the name Juglans rupestris is retained 

 and the other called the Arizona walnut (designated 

 Juglans major) . 



MEXICAN SPECIES 



The Mexican v^'alnuts, in addition to Juglans rupestris. 



which is native to northern Mexico and southwestern 



United States, are Juglans mollis, Juglans pyriformis, and 



Juglans mexicana. Little is known concerning the w^ood 



1 he "Juglans baccata" of the West Indies is not a true 

 walnut; it is Picrodendron juglans. Another tree known 

 as walnut in the West Indies is Aleurites triloba, a native 

 of the East Indies which has escaped from cultivation. 



EUROPE .AND ASIA 



The most important ^valnut of the eastern hemisphere 



is the common English walnut (Juglans regia), knov^rn by 



a number of names as Italian, Circassian, and Black Sea 



walnut. TTie species has a w^ide natural range and has 



qualities and commercial possibilities of these trees, but escaped from cultivation in many other regions where it 

 Juglans mexicana is regarded as the most promising. It may appear to be native. 



is claimed that the wood of this species is comparable to 

 that of the true black walnut. If this can be substantiated, 

 the tree will have a distinctive commercial value, since no 

 other walnut seems to possess the exact qualities of our 



The natural range in Europe and Asia has been out- 

 lined by Professor Augustine Henry as including Greece, 

 where it grovsrs in mixture with oak and chestnut at an 

 altitude of about 2,200 to 4,300 feet. In Bosnia and 



native black walnut. Fine stands of this wood have been Servia small woods occur, especially in the well watered 



reported from the Isthmus of Tehauntepec, Mexico, not 

 many miles from National Tehauntepec Railway. TTie 

 tree is said to reach a height of 60 feet and a diameter of 

 3 to 5 feet. It is reported as common in the mountain 

 valley of eastern Mexico, near Monterey, at an altitude 

 of 2,500 feet. 



SOUTH .A.MERICA 



north slopes of the mountains. In Herzegovenia it 

 ascends to 2,400 feet. It is found in the Rhodope Moun- 

 tains and in the Caucasus from sea level to 4,500 feet. 



In northern Persia it occurs in Ghilan and has been 

 encountered not far from Bokhara. It is also reported 

 from Armenia. In .Afghanistan it grows at altitudes vary- 

 ing from 7,000 to 9,000 feet, and also in the Kuram 



Beyond the unquestionable presence of the true walnut valley. It is found in the temperate Himalayas and 



in tropical South America, very little is known of the Ladak. At altitude of 3,000 to 10,000 feet it is found 



character or abundance of the species. They occur in eastward from Kashmir to Nubra. In Burmah it occurs 



the inaccessible Andean region from Venezuela to Argen- on the Shan Hills. It is regarded by some authorities as 



tina and are probably not fewer than four distinct species. native to north China and Japan and by others as merely 



Two of these are Juglans andina of Bolivia and Juglans escaped from cultivation. It is cultivated throughout 



granatensis of Colombia. Another species has been col temperate parts of the world. 



lected by Dr. H. H. Rusby of Columbia University, New TTie Manchurian walnut (Juglans manchurica) occurs 



York, w^hich is believed to be undescribed. in the mountain v/oods in eastern Manchuria betvkfeen the 



The "nogal silvestre" or black walnut of Argentina is Bureia Range and the Sea of Japan and from latitude 



