Complete Collection of Walnut Types with Pictures and Variety Introductions
Walnut is a nut-type food, whose homeland is Iran in western Asia. It was brought back to China after Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. According to the book "Chinese Walnuts," China's existing walnut plants are divided into 3 groups and 8 species. Here we introduce the Complete Collection of Walnut Types with Pictures.
According to the book "Chinese Walnuts," China's existing walnut plants are divided into 3 groups and 8 species: the Walnut group (Persian walnut, iron walnut), the Manchurian walnut group (Manchurian walnut, wild walnut, Ma walnut, Jibao walnut, heart-shaped walnut), and the black walnut group (black walnut).
1. Persian Walnut
Persian walnut, also known as common walnut or Qiang walnut, is produced in North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, Central China, South China, East China, and southern and western Xinjiang; it generally reaches 3-5 m in height, though some reach 20-25 m, with a lifespan of one to two hundred years, and up to over 500 years at most; the fruit is a drupe, round or oblong, with the shell surface bearing grooves or wrinkles. The kernel is the edible part, brain-shaped, covered by a thin pale yellow or yellowish-brown seed coat with obvious or indistinct veins.
2. Iron Walnut
Iron walnut is mainly distributed in Yunnan, southeastern Xizang, southern Sichuan, Guizhou and other places; the fruit is round, yellow-green, with a downy surface, containing 1 seed inside. The shell surface is dotted, and the shell varies in thickness. Its kernel is used for oil pressing, and its hard shell can be used to make various beautiful and durable handicrafts. Large, oddly shaped iron walnuts can be used as fitness balls.
3. Manchurian Walnut
Manchurian walnut is distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei and Shanxi; the fruit is spherical, ovoid or elliptical, and the nut surface has 8 longitudinal ridges, with irregular cavities inside the endocarp wall. Its kernel and seed oil are edible; the bark, leaves and exocarp contain tannins, from which tannin extract can be obtained; the bark fiber can be used as raw material for papermaking and other purposes; the wood is widely used in construction, ships, vehicle fitting, military industry, furniture and other fields; the branches, leaves and bark can be used as pesticide.
4. Wild Walnut
Wild walnut, also known as mountain walnut, is distributed in Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi and Xinjiang; the fruit is ovoid or oval, the exocarp is densely covered with glandular hairs, the nut is ovoid or broadly ovoid, and the endocarp is hard. Its seed oil is edible, can be made into soap, and used as lubricating oil; the endocarp is thick and can be made into activated carbon; the bark and exocarp contain tannins and can be used as raw material for tannin extract, and the phloem fiber of the bark can be used as raw material for the fiber industry; the wood is solid and does not crack over time, and can be used for furniture.
5. Ma Walnut
Ma walnut is mainly distributed in parts of the mountainous areas of Hebei, Tianjin, Shanxi and Beijing in China (Nankou and Xiakou); the fruit is nearly spherical, and the nut is nearly spherical with a pointed tip at the top. Its fruit can be used for hand playing and cultural playing, with the advantage of “not cold in winter, not hot in summer”; it can also be carved into handicrafts, with a color like agate and resembling fine jade; the wood is hard and can be used as military material.
6. Jibao Walnut
Jibao walnut is also called Jibao walnut, butt walnut, ghost walnut or Japanese walnut. It originated in Japan and was introduced to China in the 1930s. It is planted in Liaoning, Jilin, Shandong and Shanxi; the fruit is spherical, and the nut has 8 obvious ridges, protruding suture lines, a hard and thick shell, and a bony internal septum, making the kernel difficult to extract. Its fruit can be made into bracelets, which neither hurt the hands nor need brushing.
7. Heart-shaped Walnut
Heart-shaped walnut, also known as Hime walnut, originated in Japan and was introduced to China in the 1930s. It is now planted in small quantities in Liaoning, Jilin, Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and other provinces and regions; the fruit is flat heart-shaped, smooth, with a protruding tip at the front end. The two sides of the suture line are wider, while the other side is narrower, about 1/2 of the wider side, each with 1 longitudinal groove in the middle; the nut shell is hard and thick, with no internal fold wall, and the whole kernel can be taken from the suture line, with a kernel yield of 30%-36%.
8. Black Walnut
Black walnut is distributed in the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada, and was introduced to China in 1984; the fruit is spherical, light green, with small protrusions on the surface and covered with downy hairs; the nut is round, slightly flat, with a slightly pointed tip, and the shell surface has irregular deep grooves. The shell is hard and thick, and difficult to crack open. Its wood has beautiful grain and is a superior material for furniture and plywood.
The above is an introduction to the 3 groups and 8 species of walnut, and we hope it is useful to everyone.