

-e> -^^^5^.^ ~-e> 



WHITE WALNUT, OR BUTTERNUT 



{Juglans cinerea L.) 

 TTHE white walnut, usually called butternut in 

 the North, is a smaller tree than the black wal- 

 nut, though it reaches a height of 70 feet and a diam- 

 eter of 3 feet. It is found naturally only in the 

 mountains, where it is a common tree. The trunk is 

 usually forked or crooked, and this makes it less 

 desirable for saw timber. The bark differs from that 



WHITE WALNUT, OR BUTTDRNUT 

 Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size. 



of the black walnut in being light gray on branches 

 and on the trunk of small trees, becoming darker on 

 large trees. This tree may also be distinguished 

 from black walnut by the velvet collars just above 

 the scars left by last year's leaves. 



The compound leaves are 15 to 30 inches long, 

 each with 11 to 17 sharp-pointed, oblong, finely 

 toothed leaflets 2 to 3 inches long. 



The flowers are of two kinds on the same tree, 

 the male in long yellow-green drooping catkins, 

 the female recognized by the rather conspicuous 

 red-fringed stigmas. The fruit is a nut enclosed in 

 an oblong, somewhat pointed, yellowish green husk, 

 about 2 inches long, which is covered with short 

 rusty, clammy, sticky hairs. The nut has a rough, 

 grooved shell and an oily, edible kernel. 



The wood is light, soft, not strong, coarse-grained, 

 light brown, and takes a good polish. It is used for 

 interior finish of houses and for furniture. A yellow 

 or orange dye can be made from the husks of the 

 nuts. 



16 



