Which walnut is the "mystery" stock blank?

[Naphtali]

Knowing little about woods and having no access to expert examination, how can I differentiate between European Walnut (Juglans regia) and American Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) when examining a "mystery" stock blank?

[felix]

Good question. DNA would be the only valid check because of all the sub-varieties throughout the world. Principal schools with such WALNUT interests and equipment are Purdue and Cornell. Might get some interesting feedback from NNGA (Nut Growers). ... felix

[runfiverun]

i know back in the day much of the walnut marked "imported"
was walnut that come from america,was sent overseas,cut into stock blanks and dried.
then was imported back here.
it had to be secondary use,and the other pieces were picked out for furniture, or whatever.
even throughout this country it would be hard to tell what was what,trees grow everywhere...

[Blacksmith]

It appears you can tell from the twigs. Lots of information here and links to answer most questions.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=JUNI

http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=JURE80&photoID=jure80_003_avp.tif

[waksupi]

There is a considerable difference in grain structure and color. The European will generally be harder than black walnut, and is usually a lighter color, with reddish streaks running through it. About the only way to learn them, is to be able to see several examples together. Google both of them, then click on images, I bet you will find lots of pictures.

[felix]

If you have GoogleEarth, check out these coordinates for Superior Plantation -- Clubb Creek:

37°10'00.51"N
90°00'53.29"W

This is a Black Walnut plantation, initiated in 1981. My interest is 10 percent of the produce. This was done to take advantage of a significant tax credit for being a partner in a tree farm. Much like what is offered by the IRS if you install certified Energy stuff for your house nowadays.

The point here is to say we obtained the nuts from all over the US, and some from Turkey and Czechoslovakia. None from California were planted because they were not virile enough as found out a couple of years later. One thing to note from Ric's (Waksupi) comment : Streaks in wood usually means the tree took on water at a rapid rate after a drought season. This is why Walnut specifically must be planted such that the tap root (6 feet max for Walnut) cannot ever sit in water. This requires upland planting. Rocky soil won't work there because the water flow could be too rapid for the roots to uptake enough water after said drought spell.

Notice in the google picture the trees around the creek are larger and darker green. Chances are they are going to be worthless as lumber because of streaking. However, they produce the most walnuts, and they are sold to Hammonds south of KCMO, and he processes them for an ice cream plant in Oregon, and the hulls to the Navy's sand blasting operations at Virginia Beach. The money is used to keep the plantation clean of fallen debris and to assure proper fertilization. We use beginning forestry college kids on loan from the local schools. ... felix

[shooter93]

Post a couple pics....sometimes it's easy to tell....other times it's impossible without lab work. In the higher grades Black walnut tends to have burl or feather crotch and English will be lighter with dark streaks like marbling.