 |
 |
|
 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mortimer Abramowitz Gallery of Photomicrography
Butternut Tree (Juglans cinerea) Thin Section
Humans have utilized Juglans cinerea, better known as the butternut tree, for a wide variety of purposes for thousands of years. Many Native American tribes used their sap as sugar, their bark as a treatment for rheumatism, and the oil of their nuts for cooking.
The wood of butternut tree is rather soft and is not heavily used for lumber. However, the Shakers frequently used the material to make furniture and it is sometimes contemporarily utilized for cabinetwork, interior finishing, and household goods. Squirrels and rodents frequently consume the kernel like nuts of the butternut, as do humans. Maple-butternut candy is especially popular in the New England area where the trees are most abundant.
The butternut tree is not very common and many of its populations are shrinking because of a spreading fungus that is not native to North America. Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandocearum, which begins its development near the treetop and works its way downward, is the problematic organism that is causing the decline. Spores grow on dying branches and then spread via rainwater to tree stems. Stem cankers slowly take form, eventually killing the butternut, and preventing it from sprouting again.
