Plant Family: Juglandaceae
Growth Form: Medium-sized to large tree, 10 – 25 meters tall.
Leaves: Alternate, once-compound, 40 – 75 cm long, the 11 to 17 leaflets are oblong to lanceolate, and sessile (or nearly so) on the rachis. Leaflets at the base and apex are smaller than those in the middle; a terminal leaflet is often present.
Bark: Light gray and smooth on young trees; developing shiny flat-topped ridges on older trees; the pith of mature twigs is chambered.
Flowers: Monoecious, the male flowers in single catkins, female flowers in groups.
Fruits: Large, ovoid, pale green, obviously sticky husks, to 7 cm long; they do not split open when ripe, inside are the sharply ridged nuts.
Habitat: Rich, damp woods, bottomlands; widely planted.
Range: Throughout New England, but less common to the north; ranging west to Minnesota and south to northern Georgia.
Similar Species: Black Walnut has darker gray, fissured bark, even on young trees, and spherical fruits.
Comments: The nut meat is oily and was boiled by Native Americans to make a kind of butter. The husks have been used to make a yellow-brown dye. Butternut canker is a disease caused by a fungus (Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum), most likely introduced from Asia, that is reducing Butternut populations throughout its range. Look for dark vertical lesions on the lower trunk and branches.
