LEAVES: Alternate, compound, leaflets 11 to 17, each 3″-5″ long, small-toothed; dark yellow-green above, paler, hairy below; end leaflet same size as side leaflets; main leaf- stem with conspicuous sticky hairs. Butternut is one of the last trees to unfold its leaves in spring, and the first to shed them in autumn.
TWIGS: Stout, greenish-gray to tan, rough, brittle. Pith chocolate-brown, chambered. Buds light brown, hairy, not covered with scales; end bud ½”-¾” long, side buds smaller. Fringe of short hairs between leaf-scar and bud.
FRUIT: An oblong nut, 1½”-2½” long, covered with a hairy, sticky husk. The rough nutshell is pointed at one end, the kernel oily and sweet.
BARK: Young trunks rather smooth, light-gray; later becoming darker, deeply furrowed with wide, smooth, flat-topped ridges.
GENERAL: A small to medium-sized tree, 30′-50′ high usually in rich bottom lands and on fertile hillsides. Butternut is more common in northern tier counties and at higher elevations than Black walnut. Also called White walnut, its wood is used chiefly for furniture, instrument cases, and boxes and the nuts are an important wildlife food.
Recently a fungal disease has killed many Butternut trees throughout its range.
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