Black Walnut is a fairly common large tree of bottomland forests, familiar for its edible nuts and valuable wood. The long, pinnately compound leaves are distinctively fragrant. The most similar trees are Butternut (Juglans cinerea) and Pecan (Carya illinoinensis).

Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

The fragrant fruits are large and ball-shaped. These green-husked fruits turn yellow when fully ripe, then black, and can be used to stain fabric.

Orange Co., NC 9/20/02.

The bark of large, old trees is very dark and rough.

Orange Co., NC 9/20/02.

The bark of medium-sized trees is gray with diamond-shaped ridges.

Orange Co., NC 6/1/08.

The blackish bark of a large tree.

Orange Co., NC 5/3/08.