Juglans microcarpa

FNA 1997

Common Name: little walnut Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Tree Wetland Status: FAC General: Shrubs or short trees 3-10 m, bark gray and split into rough ridges. Leaves: Pinnate with 17-25 lanceolate leaflets, each 5-6 cm long, 1 cm wide, margins entire or toothed with long, pointed tips, terminal leaflets small, sometimes with sparse hairs or scales, leaf axils often bearing tufts of hairs. Flowers: Staminate catkins, 3-7 cm long. Fruits: Fruits smooth and globose, with glandular hairs and grooved nuts within. Ecology: Found along creeks and rivers, from 650-6,500 ft (200-2000 m); flowers March-April. Notes: This species may hybridize with J. major resulting in larger leaflets, and is also thought to hybridize with J. nigra. Ethnobotany: Specific use of species unknown, but uses for the genus include using the walnuts for food and using the juice to clear maggots from wounds and worms from dogs. Etymology: Juglans is Latin for walnut, microcarpa means having small fruits or seed pods. Synonyms: None Editor: LCrumbacher, 2011