Juglans mandshurica - Manchurian walnut

 

Manchurian walnut is a large, broad and often multi-stemmed tree, growing bestg in moist rich soils. The leaves are alternate, compound, a dull bluish-green, and on strongly growing root-collar shoots can be over a metre long. Because of their size they make an indelible impression on visitors to Mustila’s Etelärinne (Southern slope).

Manchurian walnut, the winter-hardiest of the genus due to its origins in cold continental climate areas, has been planted in Finland for a century, though still rare. At Mustila there are large trees which have been grown from Manchurian walnut seed purchased from the Russian seed merchant Ptitšin in the 1930s.

The nut is large, thick-shelled, and ripens in October. The nuts are edible, like the English (synonym Persian) walnut (Juglans regia), but much more difficult to crack open. Despite this, squirrels enjoy them and the grinding of their teeth on the shells can be heard in the trees in autumn.

 

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Juglans mandshurica ©jr