Juglandaceae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia:How to read a taxobox
How to read a taxobox
Juglandaceae
Juglans regia
Juglans regia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fagales
Family: Juglandaceae
A. Richard ex Kunth
Genera

Alfaroa
Carya (hickory and pecan)
Cyclocarya (wheel wingnut)
Engelhardia (cheo)
Juglans (walnut)
Oreomunnia
Platycarya
Pterocarya (wingnut)

The Juglandaceae, also known as the Walnut Family, is a family of trees, or sometimes shrubs, in the order Fagales. Various members of this family are native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia.

Nut of Juglans regia
Nut of Juglans regia

Members of the walnut family have large aromatic leaves, that are usually alternate, but opposite in Alfaroa, Oreomunnia. The leaves are pinnately compound, or ternate, and usually 20-100 cm long.

The trees are wind-pollinated, the flowers usually arranged in catkins, and the fruit is a true botanical nut.

Foliage and seed catkin of Platycarya strobilacea
Foliage and seed catkin of Platycarya strobilacea

There are eight genera in the family, including the commercially important nut-producing trees walnut (Juglans), pecan (Carya illinoinensis), and hickory (Carya). The Persian walnut, Juglans regia, is one of the major nut crops of the world. Walnut and hickory are also valuable timber trees.


This fruit tree-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.