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Useful Tropical Plants

Juglans jamaicensis

C.DC.

Juglandaceae

+ Synonyms

Juglans domingensis Dode

Juglans insularis Griseb.

Juglans portoricensis Dode

Common Name: West Indian Walnut

Juglans jamaicensis
Drawing of the leaves and fruit
Photograph by: A. Stahl; Estudios sobre la flora de Puerto Rico
Creative Commons License

General Information

West Indian Walnut is a deciduous tree with a slender crown; it can grow 12 metres tall or more. The bole can be 45 - 60cm in diameter.
The edible seeds are gathered from the wild and eaten locally. The tree also supplies timber and tannins.
The natural habitat of the tree has been extensively destroyed and degraded, leading to a reduction in the population of this species, which was already only present in small numbers[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]. The tree is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2010)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Caribbean - Jamaica (possibly a mistaken report), Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico.

Habitat

Wet montane forest[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]. Forests, especially near streams[
597
Title
Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 48
Publication
USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
Year
1921
ISBN
 
Description
Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the third quarter of 1916, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Properties

Conservation StatusVulnerable
Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitDeciduous Tree
Height12.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moderate to higher elevations in the tropics, in areas where there is good rainfall[
595
Title
Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Vol. 38
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Harvard University.
Year
1957
ISBN
 
Description
Amongst other things, it contains an article on the Juglans of central America. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Edible Uses

Seeds - raw or cooked. The shells are very thick and hard to break open, with little edible flesh inside[
597
Title
Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 48
Publication
USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
Year
1921
ISBN
 
Description
Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the third quarter of 1916, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The fruits and barks of most, if not all, members of this genus are rich in tannins[
411
Title
Trees and Shrubs of Mexico
Publication
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol 23
Author
Standley P.C.
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution; Washington
Year
1926
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, it contains a wealth of information on the trees and shrubs of Mexico, including many of their uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

The wood of most members of this genus is valued for its toughness, hardness and durability[
411
Title
Trees and Shrubs of Mexico
Publication
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol 23
Author
Standley P.C.
Publisher
Smithsonian Institution; Washington
Year
1926
ISBN
 
Description
Although dated, it contains a wealth of information on the trees and shrubs of Mexico, including many of their uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. The wood of this species is occasionally used for making furniture.
We do not have any more information for this species, but the general description for the wood of the tropical members of this genus is as follows:-
The heartwood is chocolate-brown and generally darker than the North American black walnut (Juglans nigra), sometimes with a purplish cast; it is sharply demarcated from the whitish sapwood. The texture is rather coarse; the grain is straight to irregular; luster is high; odour and taste are mild but distinctive. The wood dries very slowly, wet zones persist, and severe honeycombing and collapse may occur in stock thicker than 10cm x 10cm. The wood works well, cutting cleanly with hand and machine tools and taking an excellent finish. It also peels and slices readily but the veneers are also reported to dry slowly. It is used for decorative veneers, furniture, cabinet work, interior finish, and other applications similar to the North American black walnut[
316
Title
Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607.
Publication
 
Author
Chudnoff. Martin.
Publisher
USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin.
Year
1984
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Juglans+jamaicensis>

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