Juglans cinerea
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- JOO-glanz sin-ER-ee-uh
- Description
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Butternut is a medium to large shade tree in the walnut family. It is native to moist bottomlands, lowland forests and some drier limestone soils in eastern and midwestern North America. The nuts shells can be hard to crack but the nuts are sweet and oily and prized by humans and wildlife.
Plant in moist, well-drained soil in the full sun. It does not tolerate shade or competition. Established trees tolerate drought and browsing by rabbits. As with black walnut, butternuts produce juglones which are toxic to other plants. The effect usually extends out to the drip line.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The tree is endangered in its native range due to butternut canker disease and overharvesting. The canker has devastated the tree and there is no cure. It is not often used ornamentally but as a native tree, it is worth saving.
VIDEO created by Grant L. Thompson for “Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines for Landscaping” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Juglans
- Species:
- cinerea
- Family:
- Juglandaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used to make furniture, cabinetry, instrument cases, interior woodworks, hand-carved wall panels, trim, church decoration and altars. Nut popularly used in New England for making maple-butternut candy. Early settlers used fruit husks and inner bark to make orange or yellow dye and the root bark for a laxative. Native Americans used the nuts for food and boiled the tree sap for syrup.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Canada, central and eastern U.S.A., NC
- Distribution:
- Found from Quebec south throughout the New England states to GA west to MS and AR north through Manitoba
- Fire Risk Rating:
- high flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Provides food for squirrels and other rodents, birds and mammals. This plant supports Hickory Horndevil (Citheronia regalis) larvae which have one brood and appear from May to mid-September. Adult Hickory Horndevil moths do not feed. Larval host plant for the Luna moth.
- Edibility:
- Nuts are edible and sought after by food enthusiasts.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 40 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Broad
- Irregular
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4b, 4a, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7b, 7a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Fruit Type:
- Nut
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Oblong yellow-green sticky hulls with irregularly ribbed brown nut.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Catkin
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Male flowers are yellow-green in 2.5- 5.5 inch long catkins. Female flowers are inconspicuous and appear at the end of branches. Bloom time is early spring.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The dark green odd-pinnately compound leaves are 10-20 inches long with 11 to 19 leaflets. The leaflets are 2-4.5 inches long and 3/4 to 2.5 inches wide. They have serrated margins, hairs on both surfaces and glands on the undersides.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Diamond
- Bark Description:
- Light ashy grey flat topped shiny ridged bark developing diamond shaped patterns
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Moths
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Rabbits
- Problems:
- Allelopathic
- Messy
