Common Name: Walnut, White (Butternut)
Latin Name: Juglans cinerea
Address: 950 Melbourne Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901
GPS Coordinates: 38.050608, -78.472496
White Walnuts (Butternuts) at the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
Charlottesville is lucky to have two white walnut trees in the Botanical Garden. One of them is the fourth largest white walnut in Virginia. Due to the more open canopy at the Botanical Garden, the tree’s width measurement at the crown is impressive for it’s overall size. The smaller one may be a hybrid and both have had their leaves collected for DNA sequencing.
White Walnuts are relatively rare because they are susceptible to an invasive fungus that kills any white walnut tree it infects. The fungus causes deep sores called cankers, which look like wide black slits bordered with white. Once it finds an opening, the fungus enters the veins of the tree and destroys its ability to transport both nutrients and water.
The volunteers who take care of the Garden keep a close eye on both trees. Students and faculty from UVA are currently surveying white walnuts in the area to help preserve this native species. If you know of one, please send a photo and coordinates to uvabutternuts@virginia.edu