The Tall Tale Of The Walnut Tree

From its origins in the Garden of Eden to its intricately patterned wood and our love of cracking open and consuming its hard-shelled fruit, the walnut tree has enjoyed a long and colourful history, says Charles Hulbert-Powell

- Charles Hulbert-Powell

THE walnut is not a tree native to the UK, but it has had a remarkable history of migration. The common walnut, Juglans regia, originated in the Middle East, mainly in eastern Turkey, Georgia and Iran, possible site of the Garden of Eden. Trading was the biggest contributor to the migration, both east and west, from the tree’s origins. A 5th-century, chestnut built boat with walnut shells in the hull was found in the Port of Yenikapı near Istanbul, Turkey, and the walnut is mentioned in Greek mythology—Dionysus turned his daughter Karya into a walnut tree and the translation has remained in the Greek language.

The walnut moved north from Yenikapı into Romania, then up the Carpathian Mountains to Poland, whereupon an adventurous Pole took some to Canada and they thrived. Later, the tree moved west across the Adriatic into Italy, where walnut shells were found in the ruins of Pompei following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ad79. In the Vatican museum, a mosaic taken from the Emperor Hadrian’s villa in the Aventine hills depicts a mouse about to consume a walnut among the debris from a feast.

The common walnut, thanks to the Roman army and traders, can now be found in Spain, France, England, the Balkans, Armenia and Morocco. Other traders took the tree to Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, California, the Far East, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite being a long way from the Middle East, the walnut thrives in Britain. For good walnut production, the soil should have a ph of 5.5, be of a loam-clay texture and well-drained. The trees should face the prevailing wind to assist pollination, but should not be too exposed to high winds. It’s a slow-growing tree, which should have a pleasing dome shape and will enhance a garden if given plenty of room.