Species Profile (Black Walnut)
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Species Profile- Black Walnut
(Map of black walnut locations in the united states)
Map of Black Walnut Locations in Vermont
(Locations on maps based on observations from users on INaturalist.org)
1.
Black Walnut is native to eastern North America. However, it has expanded much more
than its native area into places such as New England, Eastern ND, Southeastern CO, and Eastern
NM as a result of them being somewhat near its native location (Eastern). Black walnut can also
be found in places further west of the United States, such as the Rocky Mountains, as well
occasionally in Europe (Foster). I would think that this is a result of artificial habitats since
naturally black walnuts could not survive in those environments.
Some of the black walnuts uses
in history date all the way back to medicinal uses, where “many Native American tribes, perhaps
as early as the year 8000 BCE” which actually turned out to be one of the earliest recorded dates
of this species existing (Laurel). The species also had medicinal uses in Ancient China and it is
presumed that black walnut was used to treat kidney ailments (Laurel). Another use of this plant
is dying things such as cloth or clothing. I discovered this in class when I stained one of my
fingers after trying to peel the rind off of one of the walnuts without using a glove. From what
I've gathered, this species most likely spread to Vermont naturally because it is native to different
parts of North America.
2.
Surprisingly, the Black Walnut tree can reach around 75 feet tall, with the top of the tree
having a “low branching, open crown that spreads nearly as wide as it is tall” (Foundation). Its
average lifespan is about 150 years but there have been trees that have lived up to 250 years
(Petruzzello). Transportation of this species is very difficult, since after a black walnut tree has
started to grow, it develops these things called “taproots” which essentially bore the tree into the
ground, making it nearly impossible to de-root (Foundation). This actually leads into a bigger
problem because the roots of the black walnut tree secrete a sort of toxin known as juglone
which kills most plants nearby (Joe). This is one of the main reasons that people should be
careful of where they want to plant this species, as well as how many trees they want to plant.
The place where black walnuts can grow and thrive the most is in “full sun and moist, well
drained soils” because this actually allows for the tree to grow very long and deep taproots into
the ground to gather nutrients (
Deangelis)
. Black Walnuts also enjoy living in “clay, sand, or
loam soils” because of the somewhat neutral levels of PH (
Deangelis). Since the black walnut is
a nut, many animals that typically consume nuts will consume black walnuts. These animals
include “squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rats, birds” and occasionally black bears (Jan).
3.
One creative use that we have already discovered in class is to use the black walnuts rind
as a dye. We made a dye by boiling
walnut rinds in a big pot, which ended up giving it a deep
brownlike color. After the dye had been in the pot for about an hour, we dropped the yarn that we
wanted to dye into the pot and waited. After some time, we took it out to find that the yarn had a
very deep and rich brown/hazelnut like color to it which I found really interesting. Some more
historical uses for the black walnut tree stem from the wood of the tree itself. The wood is very
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good for anything to do with woodworking because the wood itself has a “rich dark color, good
strength and physical properties” and because in general it is fairly easy to work with (Eastern).
Because of this, its wood is used for so many things in the world of woodworking. Some
examples of this include “furniture, cabinetry, paneling, and various small objects” (Eastern).
After dying the yarn with the walnuts from the tree, I can see why so many people really love the
dark rich brown color that this tree has and why it is so popular.
4.
The main reason for the outstanding effects that the black walnut tree has on the environment is
the toxic known as Juglone that the tree produces. One reason that the toxin is so bad is that it
stops plants from growing a distance of around “50 to 80 feet from the trunk of the tree.” (Joy).
Some common symptoms that plants start to show when exposed to juglone are yellow or brown
leaves that become twisted, a discoloration of the plant itself, and eventually death of the plant
(Joy). When I first read about juglone, I was pretty surprised how big of an effect the tree had on
the environment and instantly began asking questions about it. One question that I have that I
was unable to get answered by an expert was whether or not there are legal regulations on the
amount of black walnut trees that can be planted. I figured that there would be some amount of
regulation on where and how many of the trees you could plant, but to my surprise, I never found
any evidence to show this. I find this somewhat concerning because if someone starts to plant
black walnut trees everywhere because they want to use its wood for woodworking, there would
be a detrimental effect on the ecosystem and environment nearby.
5.
●
What makes Juglone so toxic?
●
How long do the effects of Juglone last after the black walnut tree is completely
removed?
●
What species solely rely on black walnut trees to survive?
●
Why is there so little regulation on Juglone?
●
Are there no restrictions on how many black walnut trees you can plant even
though they release toxins?
●
What makes plants susceptible to juglone?
●
What makes plants prone to juglone?
●
What would be the environmental effect of mass planting black walnut trees?
●
What species are affected most by the presence of Black Walnut trees?
●
What is the best way to completely remove a black walnut tree from any given
area?
My expert:
Contact | Vermont Invasives (vtinvasives.org)
Images of emails below
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Works Cited (MLA format)
Petruzzello, Melissa . "Black Walnut | Description, Tree, Wood, Nut, and Facts."
Britannica
, 4
Jun. 2021, www.britannica.com/plant/black-walnut. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
"Eastern Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra L.)."
Bplant.Org
, bplant.org/plant/82. Accessed 7 Mar.
2023.
Laurel. "Black Walnuts Benefits, Uses, and History."
Natural Herbs Guide
,
naturalherbsguide.com/black-walnut-benefits-uses-history/#:~:text=The%20historical
%20significance%20of%20the%20black%20walnut%20tree,an%20effective%20insect
%20repellent%20because%20it%20contains%20juglone. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
Foster, Joe. "Complete Guide to Black Walnut Trees – Juglans Nigra."
Growit Buildit
,
growitbuildit.com/black-walnut-tree-facts-juglans-nigra/#wildlife. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
—---
Foundation, Arbor D. "Black Walnut."
Arbor Day Foundation
, 1 Jan. 2023,
www.arborday.org/trees/treeGuide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=934#:~:text=Full%20sun%20is%20the
%20ideal%20condition%20for%20this,a%20ripened%20nut%20crop%20in%20early%20to
%20mid-autumn. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
Sarfaraz, Iram. "How Long Do Black Walnut Trees Live?"
Ehow
,
www.ehow.com/info_8346352_long-black-walnut-trees-live.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
Nguyen, Quynh. "How Sustainable Is Black Walnut Wood? Here Are the Facts."
Impactful Ninja
,
impactful.ninja/how-sustainable-is-black-walnut-wood/#:~:text=Black%20walnut%20wood
%20is%20a%20sustainable%20material%20thanks,for%20growing%20black%20walnut%2C
%20sustaining%20the%20logging%20industry. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
Joy, Ann, and Brian Hudelson. "Black Walnut Toxicity."
University of Wisconsin-Madison
, 7
May 2010, hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/black-walnut-toxicity/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.
Deangelis, Zack. "5 Best Places To Plant A Walnut Tree (And How To Do It)."
Tree Journey
, 22
May 2022, treejourney.com/best-places-to-plant-a-walnut-tree-and-how-to-do-it/. Accessed 7
Mar. 2023.
Jan. "Do Deer Eat Black Walnuts."
New Outdoor Times
, 19 Nov. 2022,
www.nowoutdoortimes.com/do-deer-eat-black-walnuts/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.