Figure 30.—Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

Other Common Names

Juglans, white walnut, demon walnut, oil nut.

Habitat And Range

The butternut tree is of common occurrence in rich woods from New Brunswick to North Dakota and south to Georgia, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

Description

The butternut tree is usually from 30 to 50 feet in height and when old has a thick, rough, brownish gray, furrowed hark. The twigs, deaf stems, and leaflets, especially in the early stages of growth, are furnished with sticky hairs. The leaves are composed of from 11 to 17 leaflets, each from 2 to 3 inches long. The flowers are produced in May at the same time as the leaves, the male flowers borne in catkins from 3 to 5 inches in length and the female flowers in clusters of 6 to 8 flowers each. The edible unit, which ripen in October, is enclosed in a hard, thick, deeply furrowed shell, enveloped in a strong-smelling, sticky husk.

Part Used

The inner bark, preferably of the root, collected in autumn, and. to a less extent, the leaves.