Juglans cinerea

Butternut

Juglandaceae

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Habitat

  • native to eastern half of United States
  • hardy to zone 3

Habit and Form

  • a deciduous tree
  • 40' to 60' tall
  • 30' to 50' wide
  • widespreading crown with stiff upright branches
  • slow growth rate
  • coarse texture

Summer Foliage

  • alternate leaf arrangement
  • odd, pinnately compound leaves
  • leaves are 10" to 20" long
  • leaves are comprised of 11 to 19 leaflets
  • serrated leaflet margins
  • pubescent
  • dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

  • yellow fall color

Flowers

  • monoecious
  • male flowers are catkins
  • female flowers spikes
  • not ornamentally important

Fruit

  • fruit is a nut
  • oblong and covered with sticky hairs
  • seeds are edible and oily

Bark

  • grayish bark
  • ridged and furrowed
  • stout, pubescent stems

Culture

  • prefers moist, fertile soil
  • full sun

Landscape Use

  • for food
  • for fruit
  • lawn trees
  • parks and wide open spaces

Liabilities

  • fruits can be messy
  • canker

ID Features

  • large pinnately compound leaves with numerous leaflets
  • downy, terminal buds, 0.33" long
  • buds have a blunt tip
  • leaf scar is triangular and large

Propagation

  • by seed
  • by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

  • none

© Copyright Mark H. Brand, 1997-2015.

The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Public use via the Internet for non-profit and educational purposes is permitted. Use of the materials for profit is prohibited.

Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, http://hort.uconn.edu/plants, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA.