Virginia Tech Dendrology

little walnut Juglandaceae Juglans microcarpa Berl. symbol: JUMI
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, 13 to 21 leaflets, each 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, lanceolate or narrowly ovate, finely serrated, often curved, entire leaf 8 to 12 inches long, green above and paler below, aromatic when crushed.
Flower: Species is monoecious; male flowers yellow-green in hanging catkins on last years twigs; females small, yellow-green at the ends of branches usually in a small cluster; appearing in spring with the leaves.
Fruit: Round nut, 1/2 to less than an inch in diameter; husk is thin and indehiscent, initially yellow-green but turning brown with age; nut with a hard, thick, deeply grooved shell, edible but small nut; ripening in the fall.
Twig: Moderately stout, initially green but turning gray-brown; leaf scars rasied, 3-lobed; buds light brown, fuzzy; pith brown and chambered.
Bark: Gray but becoming darker with age, roughly ridged and furrowed.
Form: A small multi-trunked tree or large shrub reaching up to 30 feet with a wide spreading crown.
Looks like: Arizona walnut

Additional Range Information: Juglans microcarpa is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information