Persian walnut (Juglans regia)
Description
Juglans regia, the Persian walnut, English walnut, Circassian walnut, or especially in Great Britain, common walnut, is an Old World walnut tree species native to the region stretching from the Balkans eastward to the Himalayas and southwest China. The largest forests are in Kyrgyzstan, where trees occur in extensive, nearly pure, walnut forests at 1,000–2,000 m (3000 to 7000 ft) altitude[1]—notably at Arslanbob in Jalal-Abad Province. It is widely cultivated across Europe. Juglans regia is a large, deciduous tree attaining heights of 25-35 m (80 to 120 ft), and a trunk up to 2 m (6 ft) diameter, commonly with a short trunk and broad crown, though taller and narrower in dense forest competition. It is a light-demanding species, requiring full sun to grow well. The bark is smooth, olive-brown when young and silvery-grey on older branches, and features scattered broad fissures with a rougher texture. Like all walnuts, the pith of the twigs contains air spaces; this chambered pith is brownish in color. The leaves are alternately arranged, 25-40 cm (10 to 16 in) long, odd-pinnate with 5-9 leaflets, paired alternately with one terminal leaflet. The largest leaflets are the three at the apex, 10-18 cm (4 to 7 in) long and 6-8 cm (2 to 3 in) broad; the basal pair of leaflets are much smaller, 5-8 cm (2 to 3 in) long, with the margins of the leaflets entire. The male flowers are in drooping catkins 5-10 cm (2 to 4 in) long, and the female flowers are terminal, in clusters of two to five, ripening in the autumn into a fruit with a green, semifleshy husk and a brown, corrugated nut. The whole fruit, including the husk, falls in autumn; the seed is large, with a relatively thin shell, and edible, with a rich flavour.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Fagales
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Family: Juglandaceae
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Genus: Juglans
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