Juglans ailanthifolia


Japanese Walnut foliage and nuts


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Height: 50 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 50.
Width: 40 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 40.
Lifespan: perennial
Bloom: early spring, mid spring, late spring
Cultivation
Exposure: sun
Features: flowers, edible
USDA Zones: 4 to 9
Flower features: red, pink
Scientific Names

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The Japanese Walnut (Juglans ailantifolia; synonyms J. cordiformis and J. sieboldiana), is a species of walnut native to Japan and Sakhalin. It is a deciduous tree growing to 20 m tall, rarely 30 m, and 40-80 cm stem diameter, with light grey bark. The leaves are pinnate, 50-90 cm long, with 11-17 leaflets, each leaflet 7-16 cm long and 3-5 cm broad. The whole leaf is downy-pubescent, and a somewhat brighter, yellower green than many other tree leaves. The flowers are inconspicuous yellow-green catkins produced in spring at the same time as the new leaves appear. The fruit is a nut, produced in bunches of 4-10 together; the nut is spherical, 3-5 cm long and broad, surrounded by a green husk before maturity in mid autumn.

The very bold, decorative leaves make it an excellent ornamental tree for planting in parks and large gardens.

Unlike the closely related and very similar North American Butternut, Japanese Walnut is resistant to the canker disease caused by the fungus Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum. This has led to its being planted as a replacement for Butternuts in North America. The two species hybridise readily; the resulting hybrid Juglans x bixbyi is also resistant to canker and is likewise planted as a replacement for Butternuts. Japanese Walnut is distinguished from Butternut by its larger leaves and round (not oval) nuts.

Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

The only significant disease Japanese Walnuts are susceptible to is the Walnut Bunch Disease.

Varieties

The Heartnut is a cultivar of Japanese Walnut distinguished by its fruit, which is heart-shaped in cross section, easier to crack, and able to yield an unbroken nut meat when cracked. The Heartnut is a sweet nut without a bitter aftertaste often intrinsic with Black and Persian Walnuts.

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