How to identify Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

How to identify Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

Butternut, also known as Butternut tree

Butternut is a deciduous tree reaching heights of 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 meters) with a crown equally wide, characterized by its open, rounded, and spreading canopy. The trunk typically appears short, forked, or twisted, supporting stout branches. It bears dark green, pinnately-compound leaves, each 10-20 inches (25-50 cm) in length with 11 to 19 oblong to lanceolate leaflets. The leaflets range from 2 to 5 inches (5-12 cm) long. Its edible fruit, encased in a greenish, longitudinally-ridged husk, contains a tan, sweet, and oily nut with a hard shell. The plant shows yellowish-green catkins as male flowers, while female blooms are shorter spikes, both appearing from April to June. Mature bark is typically gray, developing flat ridges and shallow furrows.

Lifespan: Perennial

Plant Type: Tree

Leaf Type: Deciduous

Quickly Identify Butternut

Dark green, odd-pinnately compound leaves with 11-19 oblong to lanceolate leaflets.

Greenish fruit husk with 2-4 longitudinal ridges and characteristic sticky hairs.

Yellow-green catkins for male flowers and shorter spikes for female blooms.

Deciduous tree with a short, forked trunk and stout branches.

Bark with distinct narrow ridges, flat tops, and intersecting diamond-shaped patterns.

Detailed Traits of Butternut

Leaf Features

The leaves of butternut are alternate and appear whorled at the branch tips. These dark green, odd-pinnately compound leaves measure 10-20 inches (25-51 cm) long and feature 11 to 19 oblong to lanceolate leaflets, each 2-5 inches (5-13 cm) long and 0.75-2.25 inches (2-6 cm) wide. The leaflets have serrated margins and fine hairs on both surfaces, with paler, glandular undersides. The petiole and rachis are glandular with sticky hairs. In fall, the leaves turn yellow.

Leaf Base

Circular

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Apex

Acuminate ,

Caudiform

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Flower Features

The male flowers of butternut are yellow-green and appear in slender catkins measuring 2.5 to 5.5 inches (6.35 to 14 cm) long, each containing up to 15 stamens. Female flowers, less conspicuous, form in short terminal spikes at branch ends, 1.5 to 2.5 inches (3.8 to 6.35 cm) long, with up to 7 flowers per spike. The green ovary is covered in sticky hairs with a red stigma. Blooming period is from April to June.

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Stem Features

The stem of butternut is initially green to olive brown with glandular and non-glandular hairs, becoming smoother over time. The buds are dense, downy, and light brown, with terminal buds measuring 0.5 to 1 inch (1.27 to 2.54 cm), appearing in clusters. The branch pith is chocolate brown and chambered. The stem has a large, 3-lobed, downy leaf scar with a downy pad above it and a distinct bitter taste.

Learn About the Stem Glossary

Fruit Features

The fruit of butternut is a nut encased in an outer husk. This husk is green, bearing 2 to 4 notable longitudinal ridges and is coated with short, sticky hairs. The oblong to ovoid pointed nuts measure approximately 1.5 to 2.2 inches (3.8 to 5.6 cm) in length. These nuts ripen typically from September to October. They may appear singly or gathered in clusters of 2 to 5 at the branch tips. Inside the husk, the seed is known for being sweet, oily, and fit for consumption.

Fruit Type

Nut

Learn About the Fruit Glossary

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Butternut and Their Similar Plants

Black walnut vs. Butternut: What's The Difference?

Black walnut is a large riparian zone tree native to North America. It is cultivated for nutritious walnuts and high-quality dark timber. Black walnut produces juglone, a compound that inhibits the growth of other plants in the black walnut tree’s proximity, so it may be undesirable near lawns and gardens. It is susceptible to a Thousand Cankers Disease.

English walnut vs. Butternut: What's The Difference?

The english walnut is a large deciduous tree. There are many superstitious beliefs tied to it, one of which originates from the island of Skopelos: people believe that the planter of a walnut tree will die once the english walnut grows tall enough to see the sea.

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Key Facts About Butternut

Attributes of Butternut

Plant Type

Tree

Plant Height

20 m to 40 m

Spread

12 m to 18 m

Leaf Color

Green

Flower Size

2.5 cm to 8 cm

Flower Color

Green

Yellow

Fruit Color

Brown

Green

Yellow

Gold

Copper

Stem Color

Green

The Toxicity of Butternut

Slightly Toxic to Humans

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Scientific Classification of Butternut

Phylum

Vascular plants

Class

Dicotyledons

Order

Beeches, walnuts, and allied trees

Family

Walnut

Genus

Walnuts

Species

Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

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Distribution Map of Butternut

Butternut is a plant originally native to the temperate forests of the Eastern North American region. It has since been introduced and cultivated in various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, notably across Eastern Europe and adjacent Western Asia. The species has shown adaptability to these regions, expanding its range beyond its native habitat.

Native

Cultivated

Invasive

Potentially invasive

Exotic

No species reported

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A Comprehensive Guide to Butternut How to Grow and Care for Butternut