Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Approximately 153 years old, this Black Walnut tree was likely present at The Grove when Richard Keith Call stood on the steps of his home and decried Florida’s decision to secede from the Union in 1861. He said, “gentleman, you have just unlocked the gates to Hell, from which shall flow the curses of the damned.” As one of the rarest members of the walnut family, these trees were the envy of many colonial settlers who often used the sturdy wood to build fences, flooring, and furniture. After the outbreak of the Civil War, black walnut wood was used to manufacture gunstocks. With far-reaching roots and aromatic leaves, the black walnut thrives in the moist soil of northwest Florida, but its rigid dark brown bark and edible nuts can be spotted as far north as Ontario and as far west as central Texas.