Black Walnut Tree Information

Overview

The black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is a highly prized landscape, food and timber source that is native to North America. Walnut products are an important agricultural crop in the United States.

Native Habitat

Black walnut is native to the central and eastern U.S., but the tree will grow anywhere it receives at least 140 days free of frost and 25 inches of precipitation each year.

Size

Black walnuts can grow up to 100 feet tall, and specimens have been recorded as having a trunk diameter of 4 feet and obtaining an age of more than 200 years.

Environment

Black walnut trees need full sun, and they prefer a rich and moist but well-draining soil that has a depth of at least 30 feet to allow for proper root growth.

Uses

In addition to harvesting and eating the nuts, black walnut wood is used for sheets of veneer, decorative furniture and gun stocks. In some landscape situations, it can be used as a shade tree.

Warning

Black walnuts produce a substance known as juglone that may be toxic to plants growing within 50 to 60 feet of the tree.

Photo by: Ascending the Giants