Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. The series will gradually build up to a comprehensive archive of information about the trees in Belfast Botanic gardens. Each article will illustrate the tree in Belfast together with information from a range of sources elsewhere. Click here for the rest of the trees

Tree of the Month, July 2008

Walnut - Juglans regia

by Jonathan Pilcher
The common walnut, Juglans regia, is probably a native of SE Europe to China but was widely spread by the Romans. Although the Botanic Gardens is near the Northern limit in Europe, trees in Belfast will form nuts in a good year.

The common walnut is easily distinguished from the black walnut (Juglans nigra) as the common walnut has only 5 or 7 leaflets on each compound leaf whereas the black walnut has 10 to 20. In winter it may be distinguished from the ash by the grey/brown buds, clearly distinct from the black buds of the ash.

Walnut near bandstand in Belfast Botanic Gardens	Well known leaning walnut in Belfast Botanic Gardens
Leaf of walnut	Deeply ridged bark of walnut
Male flowers of walnut	Female flowers of walnut

Photos taken in 2008 in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Copyright Jon Pilcher