What Categories Can Walnut Varieties Be Divided Into? Understanding Walnut Classification in One Article

  The selection of walnut varieties is the foundation for developing the walnut industry. However, in practical application, walnuts can be classified into the following many categories according to their different characteristics.

  1. Varieties classified by walnut origin: Xinjiang walnuts, North China mountain walnuts, Qinba mountain walnuts, Tibet highland walnuts.

Pictured: walnut

  2. Classified by walnut use into edible walnuts and ornamental walnuts.

  1. Edible walnuts: walnuts mainly for consumers to eat.

  2. Ornamental walnuts: walnuts formed after special-shape and distinctive selection and processing, with value for appreciation and collection. The producing areas and types of ornamental walnuts vary, and they are roughly divided into three major categories: Ma walnut, Qiuzi walnut, and Tie walnut.

  The biggest difference between ornamental walnuts and walnuts used for eating lies in the differences in such links as selection, oiling, playing with them, collecting and trading.

  3. Classified by walnut shell thickness: paper-shell walnut type, thin-shell walnut type, medium-shell walnut type, thick-shell walnut type.

  1. Paper-shell walnut type (shell thickness 1.0 mm or less): the inner septal wall is membranous or degenerated, whole kernels can be taken out, and the kernel yield is above 60% to 65%, making it a walnut type with relatively high kernel-use value.

  2. Thin-shell walnut type (shell thickness 1.1 to 1.5 mm): the inner septal wall is leathery or membranous, half kernels or whole kernels can be taken out, and the kernel yield is 50.0% to 59.9%, making it the main type of commercial walnut currently used as fruit.

  3. Medium-shell walnut type (shell thickness 1.6 to 2.0 mm): the inner septal wall is leathery or membranous, kernels are relatively difficult to take out, 1/4 kernels or half kernels can be taken out, and the kernel yield is 40.1% to 49.9%.

  4. Thick-shell walnut type (shell thickness 2.1 mm or more). Those whose inner septal wall is ossified are called "Yang walnuts", only broken kernels can be taken out, and the kernel yield is below 40%.

  4. Classified by early or late fruiting into early-eating walnuts and late-eating walnuts.

  5. Classified by ease of kernel extraction into Mian walnut, Erxing walnut, and Jia walnut.

  1. Mian walnut: a type with an underdeveloped inner septum and easy kernel extraction.

  2. Erxing walnut: a type between Mian walnut and Jia walnut.

  3. Jia walnut: the inner septum is highly developed and tightly grips the kernel, making kernel extraction very difficult; all extracted kernels are broken, and both eating and processing are inconvenient.