How Do I Know What Type of Walnut Tree I Have?

Question

We just moved into this house in late December. I mowed the lawn for the first time this month and noticed walnut shells under three trees. These are black inside -no nutmeat at all. Some are still in a black husk. I would say between the three trees that I believe are walnut there are maybe 2 doz husks or broken nuts. Two of the trees are about 36-50″ around the trunk and are very tall, well over 50′ the third tree is much smaller – 20-25″ around, shorter, and many more branches. approx 25′ tall. First, there is grass growing under them.
Second, after determining what type they are, how can I tell their age?

Answer 1

If the husk or shells are round, it’s probably a black walnut. If a tree is “limbed up” high enough, grass will grow underneath because light can get under the canopy to support grass growth. The only precise way of determining a tree’s age is take a trunk core sample and count the rings. We had a 65 year old black walnut cut and the diameter was 3 feet.