The Hardwoods are commonly known as Broadleaf trees because of their broad netted-vein leaves. The botanical name for these plants is Dicotyledon. They are usually deciduous. Generally they grow in Temperate Zones and at comparatively low elevations. Our native forest hardwoods comprise 17 maples and boxelders, 7 birches, 61 oaks, 18 hickories, 19 ashes, 6 elms, 15 cottonwoods and poplars, 22 willows, 14 wild cherries, 11 wild plums, 10 wild apples, 178 hawthorns, 6 hackberries, 5 gums, 9 magnolias and 297 other miscellaneous species, including such trees as the mulberries, holly, locusts, persimmon, dogwood and walnuts. In addition, a large number of exotic trees, mostly hardwoods, have been introduced into the United States. They were brought in principally for ornamental and landscape planting, but many of them have escaped cultivation and have become well established in the forests, woodlots and along streams in the different sections of our country. This is true, for example, of the Chinaberry, Ailanthus, Tamarisk, Mimosa, and many others.

The wood produced from hardwood trees may be either hard or soft in texture; the hardness or softness of the wood does not necessarily place it in the softwood or hardwood classification. The wood of some hardwood trees, such as Basswood and Boxelder, is very much softer in texture than the wood of most softwood or coniferous trees.

Included in this volume is a representative list of hardwoods, selected because of their commercial importance, diversity of color and characteristics of grain, texture and figure.

Bibliography

Shelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA 

Common Names in Use

• Butternut (Me, N.H., Vt., Mass, R.I., Conn., N.Y., N.J., Pa., Del., W. Va., N.C., S.C., Ala., Ark., Ky., Tenn, Mo., Ill., Iowa, Ind., Mich., Minn.,Wis., Kans., Nebr., Ohio, Ontario)

• American White Walnut (trade)

• Butternut (N.J.)

• Lemon Walnut (lit)

• Oil Nut (Me., Minn., N.H., S.C.)

• Walnut (Minn)

• White Walnut (Del., Pa., Tenn., Va., W. Va., N.C., S.C., Ala., Ky., Mo., Ill., Ind., Wis., Iowa., Nebr., Minn., S.Dak.)

_{Butternut Tree Bark}

_{Butternut Foliage}

Growth Range

The growth range of Butternut extends from New Brunswick, southern Quebec, and southern Ontario throughout the northeastern section of the United States from New England westward through New York to the southern part of the Lake States and southeastern corner of South Dakota as far south as northern Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the northwestern tip of South Carolina.

The Wood

Butternut wood is lighter in weight and not as strong or durable as Black Walnut. It is coarse-grained, soft in texture. The heartwood is a gray-brown or light-chestnut-brown color, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The sapwood is narrow and a light-gray or light-brown color. When finished, the wood has a beautiful satiny luster. It may be worked easily with all types of tools, but being a soft wood must be worked with care and with very sharp tools.

_{14. Juglans Cinerea Linnaeus by Romeyn B. Hough}

Uses

The wood is used mainly for interior finish and in the manufacture of furniture, some wooden ware and other cabinet work. It is used by wood carvers,and church altars are made of it. When quarter-sawed it has a very attractive figure and grain and may well be used to a greater extent in cabinet work and novelties.

Bibliography

Shelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA 

 Common Names in Use

• Black Walnut (N.H., Vt., Mass. R.I., Conn., N.Y., N.J., Del., Pa., Va., W.Va., N.C., Tenn., Ga., Fla., Ala., Miss., Tex., La., Ark., Ky., Mo., Ind., Ill., Kans., Nebr., Iowa, Mich., Ohio, S.Dak., Minn., Ontario)

• American Black Walnut (trade)

• American Walnut (trade)

• Dent-soo-kwa-no-ne "Round Nut" (N.Y. Indians)

• Gun-Wood (trade)

• Walnut (N.Y., Del., W.Va., Fla., Ky., Tenn., Mo., Ohio, Ind., Iowa)

• Walnut-tree (Pa., S.C.)

_{Black Walnut Foliage and Nuts}

_{Black Walnut Tree Bark}

Growth Range

The natural growth range of Black Walnut extends from Massachusetts to southern Ontario and central Nebraska southward throughout the eastern half of the United States, excepting the Atlantic coastal plain south of Virginia, the Gulf coast region, and the lower Mississippi Valley. It attains its best growth in the central portion of this range in deep, rich, moist and well-drained soils.

The Wood

The Black Walnut heartwood varies somewhat from light to dark chocolate brown with frequent alternate light and almost black stripes which produce very beautiful figured effects. The narrow sapwood is nearly white with a narrow shading into the darker heartwood and gradually turns darker upon exposure. This wood is hard, strong, works well with tools and is one of the most desirable and useful of all American woods. The darker the wood the more valuable it is, and for this reason it is a quite frequent practice to stain or steam the sapwood to match the heartwood. Also, the stain is sometimes forced through the entire board to produce the more valuable deep dark brown color. The crotches, burls and stumps produce exceptional figured and mottled designs and are very valuable for high quality veneers. The knots, crooks, irregular growth and curly or wavy grain, especially near the knots, produce handsome figures. In the burls of old mature trees the bird’s-eye effect on a glossy jet black to lighter shades of brown is frequently found. The wood finishes to a pleasing velvety sheen, glues satisfactorily, and polishes exceptionally well with all types of paint, stain, wax or other finishingmaterials. It holds its shape, and after being seasoned, shrinks or swells very little.

_{Black Walnut Curly and Fiddle Back Figure}

_{Pg. 102 Schoonover American Woods}

Uses

Black Walnut is superior to all other woods for gun stocks because it keeps its shape, is comparatively light in weight, and absorbs recoil the best of all woods. The most important use of the lumber and of the beautiful figured veneers is in furniture, radio and television cabinets, sewing machines, wooden novelties and general mill-work. It is an especially desirable wood to work with all kinds of tools, and is a favorite wood in all Home Work Shops and Manual Training Schools. Walnut wood is so valuable that it is mainly cut into veneers. It is No.1 on the wood list of every woodworking shop.

Bibliography

Shelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA 

_{English Walnut foliage}

_{English Walnut pod}

_{English Walnut tree bark}

_{Growth Range}

As a cultivated nut tree, the English Walnut is found along the Pacific Coast from Washington to Lower California. It is perhaps at its best in Ventura County, in southern California. Another species, the California Walnut, is a low tree usually branching at or near the base into several trunks. It is found only in coastal southern California in the foothills and valleys.

The Wood

The wood of English Walnut is moderately coarse grained, frequently cross-grained with a beautiful figure, rich in color. It is heavy, not especially strong, rather tough and irregular in texture. The heartwood is a grayish-brown, much lighter in color than the Black Walnut and more the color of Butternut. The sapwood is rather narrow and a pale cream color. Only short lumber is available because of the short, stubby trunk but beautiful burl veneers are produced, and many very pleasing figures are found in the sawed lumber.

_{English Walnut slab}

Uses

English Walnut is far more valuable for its nuts than for wood. The wood is of little if any commercial importance except for veneers, for which it is available in only limited quantities. The wood is used also to a limited extent for novelties and cabinet work because of its good working qualities and handsome color.

Bibliography

Shelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA