black walnut

black walnut, (Juglans nigra), tall tree of the walnut family (Juglandaceae), native to eastern North America and valued for its decorative wood. The dark fine-grained wood of black walnuts is used for furniture, paneling, and gunstocks. The trees are also planted as ornamentals and are cultivated for a dye found in the fruit husks. The edible seed is of limited commercial importance. See also walnut.

A black walnut tree usually is between 20 and 30 metres (about 65 and 100 feet) tall and has a trunk about 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 feet) in diameter, with deeply furrowed dark brown or grayish black bark. The leaves, about 30 to 60 cm (1 to 2 feet) long, consist of 15 to 23 leaflets borne on very short stalks. The fruit is a drupe. The pit of the drupe, commonly called the nut, contains a sweet oily seed; the outer drupe is a yellow-green hairy husk. The roots of the tree exude chemicals called juglones that can inhibit the growth of others plants, including a number of common ornamental and food plants such as azaleas, blueberries, tomatoes, and peppers. Black walnut grows slowly, maturing on good soils in about 150 years; it may have a life span of more than 250 years.