JUGLANDACEAE
Butternut
Juglans cinerea L.
HABIT.—A medium-sized tree 40-60 feet high, with a short trunk 2-3 feet in diameter; forming a wide-spreading crown of large, horizontal branches and stout, stiff branchlets.
LEAVES.—Alternate, compound, 15-30 inches long. Leaflets 11-17, 2-4 inches long and one-half as broad; sessile, except the terminal; oblong-lanceolate; finely serrate; thin; yellow-green and rugose above, pale and soft-pubescent beneath. Petioles stout, hairy.
FLOWERS.—May, with the leaves; monoecious; the staminate in cylindrical, greenish, drooping catkins 3-5 inches long; calyx 6-lobed, borne on a hairy bract; corolla 0; stamens 8-12, with brown anthers; the pistillate solitary or several on a common peduncle, about 1/3 inch long, their bracts and bractlets sticky-hairy; calyx 4-lobed, hairy; corolla 0; styles 2; stigmas 2, fringed, spreading, bright red.
FRUIT.—October; about 2-1/2 inches long, cylindrical, pointed, greenish, sticky-downy, solitary or borne in drooping clusters of 3-5; nuts with rough shells, inclosing a sweet, but oily kernel; edible.
WINTER-BUDS.—Terminal bud 1/2-3/4 inch long, oblong-conical, obliquely blunt, somewhat flattened, brownish, pubescent.
BARK.—Twigs orange-brown or bright green, rusty-pubescent, becoming smooth and light gray; gray and smoothish on young trunks, becoming brown on old trunks, narrow-ridged, with wide furrows.
WOOD.—Light, soft, weak, coarse-grained, light brown, with thin, lighter colored sapwood.