Manchurian Walnut

The height reaches 25–28 m. The trunk is even, straight, with a spreading or wide-round openwork crown resembling the crown of some types of palm trees . The diameter of the trunk reaches 60-75 cm, sometimes 100 cm ^[3] .

The bark is dark gray, shoots are yellowish brown pubescent.

Leaves on petioles 5–23 cm long, alternate, complex, pinnate, up to 40–90 cm long, less often up to 125 cm, with 7–19 oblong-elliptic serrate leaflets 6–17 cm long and 2–7 cm long width. The leaf blade is serrated, rarely finely serrated, its apex pointed, the abaxial side pubescent.

The flowers are small, same-sex, appear simultaneously with the blooming of leaves. Stamen flowers in long hanging earrings , pistillate flowers 3-10 at the ends of the shoots . It blooms in April - May.

The fruits are stone-shaped oval, reminiscent of a walnut , but smaller (3-7.5 cm) and have a very thick green or brown shell . The kernel of the nut is small, edible. The fruits ripen in August - October and quickly fall to the ground as a whole with the opened pericarp. Pericarp is green, when ripe browning, very pubescent, easily detached from the nut, sticky from glandular hairs. The tree begins fruiting at the age of four to eight years (in the culture - at 12-15 years).

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 32 ^[4] .

The natural range of the species is the Far East ( Primorye and Amur Region ), China , Taiwan , and also the Korean Peninsula .

Katai nuts ( Juglans cathayensis Dode ) and Formosa ( Juglans formosana Hayata ) were recognized as synonyms for Manchurian walnut. Accordingly, the range of the latter was extended to the subtropics of China and Taiwan inclusively ^[4] . In the north, the range of Manchurian walnut ends about where the natural range of common pine begins - in the vicinity of Blagoveshchensk and Trinity ^[5] .

It grows in mixed and deciduous forests along the valleys of rivers and streams. Occasionally found on mountain slopes, climbing to an altitude of 550 m above sea ​​level in Russia and 2800 m in China ^{[3] [4]} .

The usual neighbors of the Manchurian walnut are representatives of the immoral flora: Korean cedar , whole-leaf fir , Manchurian ash , Japanese and cut elms, Amur velvet , poplar, Amur and Manchurian linden, seven-bladed kalopanaks . Under the crowns of nuts settle: bird cherry, Amur lilac , various maples , hornbeam and other shade-tolerant plants.

In the wild, Manchurian walnut, as a rule, is not found in forests formed by densely flowered pine , junipers , apricots, and elm ( squat and small-leaved elms) ^{[6] [7]} .

Lives up to 250 years. It grows rapidly until it is 80–90 years old, then growth stops.

It is winter-hardy, tolerates frosts of at least −45 ° (for example, it satisfactorily grows in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory ^[8] , in Kuzbass, Altai, and also in North America in Edmonton , Alberta , Canada). However, in central Russia, young shoots can seriously suffer from spring frosts . Although in the Serebryany Bor forest park of Moscow for more than 30 years, dozens of trees have grown perfectly, successfully self-propagating, which is the merit of local squirrels. In the event of freezing, new shoots resume growth from sleeping buds in mid-June. Photophilous, but can grow in the shade. It prefers fertile moist, loose soils , and is sensitive to a lack of soil and atmospheric moisture.

In Russia, Manchurian walnut is widely used for landscaping cities. It is notable for the shape of a wide and rounded crown, unusual large leaves.

Hard wood , beautiful texture , with a narrow light gray sapwood and brown core. Used to make furniture , crafts, high-quality plywood . The nutshell is used in arts and crafts.

The walnut kernel is used in the confectionery industry to produce high-quality butter . Due to its beneficial properties, Manchurian walnut is used in folk medicine. The walnut kernel is also eaten, however, skill is required to extract it from the shell ^[9] .

Pericarp is a source of dye for dyeing leather and fur, wood semi-finished products (stain). Let's use hair dye as a part. Bark, leaves, fruits contain tannins .

Honey plant .

Synonyms ^[4] :

• Juglans cathayensis dode

• Juglans cathayensis var. formosana ( Hayata ) AMLu & RHChang

• Juglans collapsa dode
• Juglans draconis dode
• Juglans formosana hayata
• Juglans stenocarpa Maxim.

• Usenko N.V. Trees, shrubs and creepers of the Far East. - Khabarovsk, 1969.

• Juglans mandshurica . - Flora of China. Date of treatment November 7, 2008. Archived March 12, 2012.
• Manchurian Walnut (English) : information on the GRIN website.
• Manchurian walnut - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia . Retrieved October 10, 2009
• Makunas A. A tough Manchurian nut // Gardens of Siberia: newspaper. - 2012. - No. 8 .