Juglans jamaicensis
C.DC.
Juglandaceae
Juglans domingensis Dode
Juglans insularis Griseb.
Juglans portoricensis Dode
Common Name: West Indian Walnut
General Information
Juglans jamaicensis 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 Status | Vulnerable |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Deciduous Tree |
| Height | 12.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
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 -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
