Juglans regia in Belfast Botanic Gardens

This is one of a series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens compiled by the Friends group. The tree tag number relates to the small aluminium discs, usually fixed on the tree trunk, 2 to 3m above ground level.

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.

Photos taken in Belfast Botanic Gardens in 2008. Copyright: Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens.

Click here to view the rest of the tree archive


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

Belfast Botanic Gardens Tree Archive