Tree of the week

Good morning. These are the days for New Year's resolutions. As 2008 is an Olympic year, I resolve to learn how to swim.

I hope some of you out there are resolving to do your small part toward civic beautification by planting a tree. And I hope you will use my tree-loving friend, Pieter Severynen, as a resource. Here is Pieter's Tree of the Week:

The Southern California Black Walnut – Juglans californica var. californica

"After a year of almost no rain, our native walnut trees were stressed, but they still managed to keep looking graceful and to hang in there without any irrigation. In contrast the more formal looking English walnut, Juglans regia, with its larger, lush leaves and bigger fruit, familiar from the store, needs regular water. The SCBW prefers to grow on moist sites, northern slopes, and in streamside woodlands accompanied by oak or cottonwood. It grows into a small 15-30’ tall and wide deciduous tree. After a fire new growth will sprout from the root crown or trunk and thus the tree often develops several trunks, which are dark gray brown and covered with deeply furrowed bark. The feathery, 6-12” long compound leaves feature some 9-19 2 ½” long leaflets. The tree is resistant to oak root fungus. The fruit, green when young, black when ripe, contains a single walnut, with a hard shell and tasty if little meat. But it was a favorite food of the local Chumash Indians who did not enjoy the luxury of supermarket shopping. It also supports a variety of wildlife.

"Our SCBW tree is often used in native low maintenance plantings. Because of human population pressure it is declining in its natural range. Still it is doing better than its larger cousin up north, the Northern California Black Walnut, Juglans californica var. hindsii, of which only two native stands remain, although it has become naturalized in other areas. The northerner is used as a rootstock for the English walnut while that rootstock itself is the source for walnut burl in expensive furniture."

Thanks Pieter, for this and all your contributions this year.
Email Pieter: plseve@earthlink.net.
Photo Credit: csupomona.edu

Comments

[Uncle Billy]

"But it was a favorite food of the local Chumash Indians who did not enjoy the luxury of supermarket shopping"

I wonder if they enjoy it at all today. With the "organics" industry in question at places like Whole Foods, minimal oversight of the general meat and vegetable growers and packers, and the "plastic" quality of regular supermarket fair, one would think they'd migrate north in search of better food. Damn, that won't work either. If you saw that tv documentary, you'd know that the inuit are suffering from bad food as they eat creatures at the top of the chain that have eaten other tainted fish.

Any Chumash out there who would like to comment?

[xtine]

Sorry. No Chumash here.

however, I took classes on edible natural growth plants. There is so much to eat in socal that if all the supermarkets suddenly closed we'd have plenty to eat (if only we weren't terrified of eating stuff we don't pay for).

[Brent]

I enjoy the TofW columns, but in this instance I think Pieter Severynen is selling the SCBW a bit short.

Looking at a couple online references (Payne Foundation and CalFlora databases), there is no indication that it prefers moist soil. CalFlora goes so far as to say, "Plant communities: Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Coastal Sage Scrub [Lum/Walker, CNPS] Wetlands: equally likely to occur in wetlands or non wetlands [U.S. Fish & Wildlife Svc.]"

Don't discard the SCBW as unfit if you don't have moist soil. Planted in the fall to take advantage of our seasonal rain, with perhaps some additional water in its first summer, it ought to do just fine in dry conditions.

[Inland Empire]

You will find them in the Santa Ana River bottom in Norco if you are an equestrian. Along with other edible goodies such as wild berries and grapes.

[Uncle Billy]

Vaguely related, and of interest to those who wish to cultivate an intellectual garden:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnD3iaZ5tSA

Classic. Some readers may remember we had a Gnome Chomsky visit the blog a little while back.