Knowledgebase

What kind of tree would this be? #846857

Asked August 22, 2023, 5:17 PM EDT

Hi,

I’m hopping you could tell me what kind of tree this is on the pictures attached here and if it’s fruit is eatable and safe for human consumption?  Thank you in advance for your respose.

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

This appears to be a Black Walnut (botanical name Juglans nigra), a native canopy tree common in area woodlands. A close relative with nearly identical-looking foliage and nuts is Butternut, so we can't be certain this is a walnut from the photos alone. Resources like Virginia Tech's tree ID key can help separate tree species based on foliage and twig traits. We normally don't comment on edibility of wild plants or mushrooms since misidentification can be hazardous, but Black Walnut is edible, though only the nut meat, not the shell and husk. They don't ripen and fall off until autumn, and many wild animals consume the nuts, whose husk/covering is very hard and difficult to break.

Miri

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