Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nickname: Julie
Likes: Knowledge, Hushed Tones, Hurting those he doesn't like with Juglone
Dislikes: Loud/Obnoxious Noises, Rudeness, Idiots
Personality: Black Walnut has a very polite manner and is always keenly interested in conversations around him. For such a young plant, he's very intelligent. He definitely needs someone smart to keep a watchful eye on him.

Black Walnut talks in Dark Green






To grow to Child:
Total: 150 points or more
XP: >50 points
CP: >50 points


Total: 165

XP: 80
10 - appointment
10 - meeting
10 - Hill RP
50 - Ebil-spider-spawn

CP: 85
25 - journal
10 - kickass file
10 - mulching (=weeding)
10 - finding playmates
5 - journal entry
5 - journal entry
20 - pruning

11.16.05 Krys meets Julie on the Hill
10.16.05 Journal is up, wahoo! I need banners..... ninja
10.12-10.14.05 Krys's interview with Songjewel
10.10.05 OMG! I got Black Walnut!!! JOYS! heart

Scientific Name Juglans nigra
Common Name Black Walnut
Type Deciduous
Growth Rate Moderate

Distribution
Geography Central/Eastern portion of the United States
Location Along streams, on the slopes adjacent to the floodplains and in rich woodlands
Soil Deep, rich, well-drained
Zones Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8

General Stats
Height up to 150 feet
Diameter 2-5 feet
Trunk Straight
Crown Rounded

Visual Features
Bark Black, thick, and deeply grooved
Twigs Stout, smooth, and greenish brown or gray
Buds Whitish, woolly, more or less rounded at the tip, and up to 1/2 inch long
Leaves Large (12 - 24 inches long), alternate, and pinnately compound with 17 - 25 lanceolate leaflets. The leaflets are toothed at the edges, pointed at the tip, and up to 3 1/3 inches long and 1 1/2 inches broad. The base of the leaflet is asymmetrical. Leaflets are yellowish green and smooth on the surface, paler and slightly hairy underneath, especially along the veins
Flowers Monoecious, with separate male and female flowers occurring on the same tree. Flowers appear in April - June. The female flowers (pistillate) are without petals occur a few clustered together in small spikes. They are relatively inconspicuous. The male flowers (staminate flowers) occur as several together in hairy catkins that are greenish yellow
Fruits Singly or in pairs. They are spherical, up to 2 inches in diameter, with a thick, warty husk that is entire (unlike the black hickory, in which the husk is split into four sections when the fruit is ripe). The nut husk is very hard and the seed wonderfully sweet (The walnut grown commercially in California is Juglans regia. Native black walnut is also very tasty - particularly when made into a paste and eaten on a sandwich with honey, as one would peanut butter). The seeds (nuts) have prominent longitudinal grooves and are warty and dark brown. They ripen in October - November. Warning: The residue on the husk protecting the walnuts stains and is a b***h to get off!

Uses Black walnut wood is one of the most desirable for cabinets, veneers, furniture, and interior finishing. It is hard, heavy, coarse grained, very attractive, and easy to work with. It is also used for gunstocks. The bark is used for tanning and the nut husks have been used as a toxin for fish (currently illegal), and for yellow-brown dyes. The nuts are a food source for humans, squirrels, mice, and other wildlife. The twigs are browsed by deer. Native Americans used black walnut medicinally to treat skin disorders and as a psychological aid.

Interesting Facts Black walnut is a highly prized and beautiful tree, and large specimens have been nearly eliminated (harvested) in some parts of the country. They are scattered throughout mesic forests and occasionally occur in small, pure stands only at the periphery of these forests. Black walnut leaves, bark, nut husks, and roots contain "juglone," a chemical that is lethal to and prevents the growth of many other plants within the tree's rooting zone. Paper birch, red pine, white pine, Scotch pine, and apple are reportedly sensitive to this toxin. Tomatoes are especially affected by the substance and will not grow near large black walnut trees. Bruised nut husks were formerly used to kill fish for consumption until the practice was made illegal.

Gets Along With Most species of the eastern oaks, the ashes, yellow poplar, beech, sugar and silver maple, basswood, river birch, most hickory species, sugarberry, black cherry, cottonwood, the elms, black gum, sweet gum, and to a lesser extent, many smaller trees and shrubs

Does Not Get Along With Tomatoes, potatoes, alfalfa, blackberry, domestic grape, lilac, hydrangea, chrysanthemum, paper birch, red (Norway) pine, Scotch pine, hackberry, apple

Growing/Caring For a Black Walnut Begin controlling weeds, grasses, and brush before planting and continue at least three years after planting. The longer competing vegetation is controlled, the better the walnuts will grow. Leave crop stubble for moisture retention, weed suppression, and erosion control. Remove excess stubble that will interfere with machine planting of walnuts. Chisel-plow the planting site if there is a plow pan, or disk to loosen compacted soil. Sod strongly competes with walnut trees. Mowing will not adequately control grass. Before planting, remove sod in strips or patches by rototilling, disking, or using herbicides. Clear at least a 7- to 12-square-foot area around each planting spot (1 to 2-foot radius around each seedling). Continue cultivation, chemicals, or mulch to maintain sod-free conditions around individual trees for at least three years or until tree crown closure occurs. If you cultivate, keep rototillers and disks away from tree stems and till no more than 6 inches deep. Where chemicals are used, always read and follow label directions. Preemergent chemicals are less likely to damage walnut seedlings than foliar applied chemicals. Keep mulches 1 to 2 inches away from tree stems to avoid heat buildup. Wood chips, sawdust, bark, shredded corn cobs, plastic sheets, or fabric weed barrier mats can be used. Because organic mulches use nitrogen when they decompose, you may need to add nitrogen fertilizer around trees to maintain vigorous growth. Yellowish walnut leaves during the growing season may indicate a nutrient deficiency. Some mulches may attract small rodents that build nests and then feed on tree seedlings in fall and winter. Be very cautious when using herbicides where walnut trees grow or will be planted. Walnuts are easily damaged when some herbicides are applied nearby and drift through the air or wash onto the ground where walnuts can absorb them. Mulches can be used instead of herbicides to control grasses and broad-leaved weeds around walnut seedlings. However, they will not suppress sprouting from woody plants and are difficult to apply in wooded environments. Mark each seedling with a wire flag or ribbon to help you relocate it for follow-up weed control.

Recipe
Black Walnut & Wild Rice Elegante ~ an elegant rice pilaf to add a touch of class to your meal
1 cup uncooked Wild Rice
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup Black Walnuts
Cook the wild rice according to basic directions. Melt the butter and saute he Black Walnuts, mushrooms, onion and green pepper about 3 minutes, or until the vegetables soften slightly. Add the wild rice and garlic salt and continue cooking, stirring several times, until wild rice is heated through. Serves 4 to 6

Information Sources
http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/forest/htmls/trees/J-nigra.html
http://greenwoodnursery.com/page.cfm/340
http://www.walnutcouncil.org/botanical_description.htm
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/DD0505.html
Picture Sources
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/BlackWalnut.html
http://bio.bd.psu.edu/plant_web/Juglandaceae/Black_Walnut_Plant.html
Recipe Source
http://www.thenutfactory.com/kitchen/main-dish/walnut-wild-rice-pilaf.html

Name: Krys "Elf" Ricci
Age: 24
Height: 60" (5'0")
Weight: 110 lbs

Occupation: Lab Tech and Administrator at Barton Arboretum

Interests: Flying, reading, music, writing, rubber chickens
Dislikes: Deep sea/ocean/water, being bored, idiots

Personality: She is pretty welcoming. Krys likes to talk, but she doesn't talk just to talk. The woman likes to go around to other people and strike up conversations. She holds her opinion to herself unless it is called upon. Krys prefers to wait and see what's going on before going too headlong into it. She weighs the consequences before acting. Liking things under control and organized, Krys also works to get as much information as available. She also likes to run things and create events.

History: Krys is a pilot; well, was. She graduated from her university and got a job with a private company when she was 21. A couple years ago, Krys was in a horrible motorcycle accident which left her with a 98% useless right eye. The doctors determined that it was safer and healthier for her to "keep" her eye. It looks pretty bad, even though it healed. She now keeps her eye covered when in public, for others' comfort and her own. Her work was sympathetic, though. Even though Krys could no longer legally fly, they gave her a job as a dispatch agent with them while she went back to school. She went to Graduate school and got a Masters degree in Human Resources and Management. Recently, she graduated and was jobless for almost a day before she went to Songjewel and asked for a job... well, she got the job and worked at the Barton Arboretum ever since. Her heart still lies in the sky. Every so often, however, her co-workers give her rides and, of course, they still occasionally take her on the long flights to go on vacation.

Shop Thread


Plants Journals
Infants:




Children:


Teens:


Adults:

Arboretum/RP Locations


The Quad - This is an open, grassy area for pets to play. Many people come to Barton Arboretum to have a place to play wiht their pets, so we decided to put the pet-park right by the gate! There is also convenient access to the swimming hole from the back corner - just follow the trail! Most of the plants found here will be in landscaped beds of flowers, along with the occasional shade-tree.

South Bottom - The southern side of the River bank is moist and shady, where many large bottomland hardwoods can be found. Some spots on the trail can be a little muddy, so keep watch!

North Bottom - The northern side of the River bank is also moist and flat, but gets somewhat more sun than the southern bank. There are lots of rocky outcrops into the river that are good spots to hike and play, so the trail runs right along the side of the river for a good stretch.

The Hill - Sloping steeply from the North Bottom all the way up to the North Arbor is an area we like to call the Hill. Upland hardwoods grow here, along with a few pine species toward the top of the slope. The trails in this part of the woods are windy with many switchbacks to avoid erosion; please stay on the trail and don't cut across!

North Arbor - What better place to lounge in full sun than the very top of a hill? With nothing to overshadow it, this is the perfect place for one of our two greenhouses. There are also pine stands and open clearings with benches here for anyone who wants to come and sit or sunbathe. But don't forget, you've got a steep climb to get there!

The Glen - Many say this is the most soothing and mystical place in the arboretum. The glen is a cool, shady area often immersed in fog. The ground is covered with a lush undergrowth of ferns and other herbaceous plants like jewelweed and nettle. Be careful if you wander off the path! Those nettles hurt.

The Orchard - Trees are planted here in rows. Every year, we collect either fruits or seeds from them, depending on the species. Visitors are welcome to snack on any ripe fruit they like, as long as they read the signs to make sure a fruit is edible.

South Arbor - The southern-most area in the entire arboretum, the South Arbor is home to our largest greenhouse. Many breeding experiments are done in the South Arbor Greenhouse. Around it stand many large old trees, but much of the understory has been cleared away to give the arbor an open feeling. It almost looks as if it was built on a former homesite