Tree

• The black walnut tree itself ranges from 70 to 150 feet tall and measures at the diameter between 2 and 4 feet. It is not only large, but also straight-stemmed and has an open crown. If a black walnut tree is grown in the open rather than confined by a forest of other trees, then it is short-trunked with branches and wide-spreading.
  
  

Bark/Wood

• The bark of a black walnut tree is blackish-gray and flaky when the tree is young. As the tree ages, the bark becomes strongly furrowed and ridged, forming a diamondback pattern. The wood of a black walnut tree is finely grained. It is usually chocolate-brown and lightweight. The wood is used to make furniture, gun stocks and veneer.
  
  

Leaves

• The leaves of the black walnut tree are large. They can reach anywhere between 12 and 24 inches long. One leaf is made up of several leaflets, which can be anywhere from 11 to 23 in count. The leaflets are small and narrow, and they have a single-tooth margin. There is typically no terminal leaflet at the end of the leaf on mature trees. The leaves are pungent when rubbed or bruised, more so than the rest of the tree.
  
  

Nuts

• The nuts of a black walnut tree are harvested in the fall. They are about 2 inches in diameter, round, solid and nonsplitting. The nuts are green when immature and yellow-black when ripe. Ripe nuts can easily stain due to a brown-black juice in the hull. This juice was used by pioneers to dye clothes. Nuts usually grow singly, in pairs or in groups of three.
  
  

Region

• Black walnuts are found all over the United States. It is native to the Eastern, Midwestern and Great Plains regions. Black walnut trees enjoy sunny conditions and prefer fertile, well-drained soil in forests with other hardwood trees. They also grow well in pastures, meadows, lower slopes and coves, but can tolerate dry and poor soils. However, these areas affect their growth rate, decreasing it significantly.