MASSACHUSETTS FOREST TREES 



BLACK WALNUT (Juglans nigra L.) 



THE Black Walnut is rather rare in Massachusetts, 

 though it occurs more frequently in the western 

 part of the State than in the eastern. When 

 found, it is usually growing in rich bottom- 

 lands or on fertile hillsides. 



It is a large tree of upright growth and 

 narrow, round head, which normally attains 

 a height of fifty to seventy-five feet and a 

 trunk diameter of two to five feet. The 

 branches are stout and rigid and the lower 

 ones extend horizontally. 



The bark on the trunk is blackish and 

 deeply divided into rounded ridges which 

 have a tendency to cross each other obliquely. 



The leaves are alternate, from one to two 

 feet long and have from fifteen to twenty - 

 three leaflets. 



The fruit is a globose nut, about two 

 inches in diameter, with a slightly roughened 

 surface. 



The wood is heavy, hard, strong, durable 

 and capable of taking a fine polish. It is 

 very valuable for cabinet-making and the 

 interior finish of houses. The older the 

 tree, generally speaking, the darker and more 

 valuable is the wood. 



BLACK WALNUT. One-half natural size. 



From Sargent's " Manual of the Trees of North America," by permission of 

 Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 



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