Scientific Name
Juglans cinerea x ailantifolia
The buartnut tree (pronounced bew-art-nut) is a hybrid between the North American butternut and the Japanese walnut. Botanically, it is known as Juglans × bixbyi. These hybrids first appeared after Japanese walnut trees were introduced to North America in the 19th century.
As a first-generation hybrid, the buartnut combines traits from both parent species. It shows intermediate characteristics in its leaves, buds and bark, along with strong disease resistance and the hybrid vigor that often leads to faster growth. It is fully cold hardy in our climate and may eventually reach around 50 feet in height, though local conditions will influence its ultimate size.
The nuts are about 2 inches long and may be produced on relatively young trees, sometimes within 10 years. They are reputed to be very flavorful. Because the parent species have similar foliage, the buartnut has long compound leaves, often up to 2 feet in length, with as many as a dozen leaflets. The twigs are stout and feature large terminal buds.
This is a tree that has rarely been planted in our region, so it will be interesting to watch how it develops here over time.