Leaf
Pierre Bonnet, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Common walnut
Juglans regia L.
Also known as: English walnut, Persian walnut, Walnut
Family: Juglandaceae
15 to 25 m tall
Widely cultivated and naturalised, deep soils
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
-20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The strong smell of crushed leaves is an immediate clue, even without the fruit.
🍃 Leaves
Compound, 5 to 9 large leaflets, strong smell when crushed
🌸 Flowers
Pendent male catkins, inconspicuous female flowers in small numbers
🍎 Fruits
Nut green until ripe, woody shell containing the kernel
🪵 Bark
Grey, smooth on young trees then fissured
🗺️ Distribution
Native to central Asia and south-eastern Europe, cultivated since antiquity; found throughout France
🐝 Value for pollinators
Mainly wind-pollinated, catkins not very attractive to insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Grown in orchards for its fruit (walnuts) and planted as a specimen tree for its shade and valuable timber
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Leaves and husk rich in juglone, an allelopathic substance that inhibits the growth of neighbouring plants; fruit harmless
🌿 Other Juglandaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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