Butternut – Juglans cinerea
Nomenclature:
- Juglans cinerea
- Family:
Juglandaceae
Botany and Ecology:
- Tree
height: 30’- 60’
- Tree
diameter: 1’- 3’
- Leaves
are broad, flat, pinnately compound, alternate, and have toothed margins
- Fruit
is enclosed by a thick husk without seams
- Prefers
rich, moist soil and is often found at stream bottoms and ravine slopes
- Shade-intolerant
as it achieves its best growth in full sunlight
- Wood
is weak and soft
- Degree
of threat: Substantial, imminent threat
- Perennial,
long-lived, deciduous
- Seriously
impacted by a canker fungus (Sirococcus
clavigignenti-juglandacearum)
- Distribution:
- United
States: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN,
MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
- Canada:
MB, NB, ON, PE, QC
Uses:
o Seeds
can be consumed raw or made into a powder and used in cereal flours
o Sap
is produced in the spring and can be used as a sweetener
- Medicinal:
- Treatment
for chronic constipation, lowers cholesterol, and promotes clearance of
waste products by the liver
- oil
from the nuts is used to treat tapeworm and fungal infections
- Other:
- Yellowish-orange,
light brown, and black dyes
Conservation:
Markets and Vendors:
Sources: