Common Name: WALNUT FAMILY
Habit: Shrub, tree; monoecious. Leaf: odd-(even-)1-pinnate, alternate, deciduous; stipules 0. Inflorescence: catkin, generally appearing before leaves, 1 or clustered; flowers generally 1 in bract axils. Staminate Inflorescence: pendent, elongate, many-flowered, on last year's twigs. Pistillate Inflorescence: erect; flowers 1--many, at tip of new twigs. Staminate Flower: calyx [0 or] lobes generally 4 [2, 6]; petals 0; stamens 3--40[50]; pistil 0 or vestigial. Pistillate Flower: calyx [0] or lobes 4; petals 0; stamens 0; ovary 1, inferior, chamber 1 above, generally 2 below, styles 2, plumose. Fruit: nut enclosed in husk or winged nutlets.
Genera In Family: 9 genera, > 60 species: northern temperate, subtropical mountains; some ornamental, cultivated for wood, nuts (Carya hickory, pecan; Juglans walnut). Note: In Carya, Juglans, husk included in fruit diam, even though derived from involucre, calyx, and therefore not technically part of fruit.
eFlora Treatment Author: Alan T. Whittemore
Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.