Black Walnut
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The black walnut, Juglans nigra, is one of the most common trees in Ohio, both naturally occurring and planted. Many black walnuts are planted by our squirrel population as they leave their nuts in the winter, leading to scattered populations. Black walnuts prefer open sunlight and produce a toxin called juglone that reduces competition from ground level plants. The black walnut fruits have long been used in staining materials, and the wood is often used for timber.
Images
The grouping of the black walnuts.
Henry Dawes with a cut black walnut, 1917.
Letter from Arthur Clark detailing the history of his donated seeds.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Black walnuts have a long history at The Dawes Arboretum, with many presents when the Dawes’ family bought the property in 1917. One of the first tasks that Beman undertook on The Arboretum’s grounds was the collection of timber for the military during World War I noted by Bertie on a picture of her son Henry Dawes and staff member John Jordan taken in 1917. The timber would have been sold to make rifle stocks. Beman then would replace those cut down with new plantings. Other black walnuts in this area may have other historical connection as Beman collected many “History Trees.” These Black Walnuts may also have come from Vincennes, Indiana, the site of a meeting between Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison in 1810.