The walnut family is comprised of about a dozen genera and a hundred different species. The best known genus is Juglans, the twenty-one species of which are native to almost every continent and are famous for producing walnuts. The most familiar and commercially important of these are Juglans regia, also known as Persian or English walnut, and Juglans nigra, also known as eastern black walnut. Both are prized for their nuts and their wood.
Walnuts are good food and a big industry in California. Walnut husk flies, on the other hand, are a serious problem when they deposit their eggs into the green, golf ball-sized orbs, turning them into mushy black blobs.
The other important genus in this family is Carya, which includes hickories and pecans. Actually pecans are a species of hickory, Carya illinoinensis. I remember my Dad pointing out hickories while walking around Shelter Island. I also remember my brother pointing out pecan trees while walking around Texas. Who among us has not enjoyed a piece of pecan pie?
Walnuts are good food and a big industry in California. Walnut husk flies, on the other hand, are a serious problem when they deposit their eggs into the green, golf ball-sized orbs, turning them into mushy black blobs.
The other important genus in this family is Carya, which includes hickories and pecans. Actually pecans are a species of hickory, Carya illinoinensis. I remember my Dad pointing out hickories while walking around Shelter Island. I also remember my brother pointing out pecan trees while walking around Texas. Who among us has not enjoyed a piece of pecan pie?
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