Juglans olanchana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Juglans olanchana |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Juglans
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| Species: |
olanchana
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| Synonyms | |
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Juglans guatemalensis W.E. Manning |
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The Juglans olanchana is a type of tree that loses some of its leaves during the year. It belongs to the Juglandaceae family, which includes walnuts and pecans. This tree is found in several countries in Central America and Mexico. You can see it growing in Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
This impressive tree can grow very tall, reaching up to 40 meters (about 130 feet). Its trunk can also be quite wide, up to 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) across. The tree has long branches with special leaves that are 40 to 50 centimeters long. These leaves are smooth and made up of many smaller leaflets. They are darker on top and lighter underneath. Sometimes, the bottom of the tree trunk has wide, flat parts called buttresses, which help support it.
The Juglans olanchana is currently listed as an endangered species. This means it is at risk of disappearing from the world.
Where the Walnut Tree Lives
The Juglans olanchana tree likes to grow in places that are very wet and tropical. It is often found along the banks of rivers. You can see these trees from sea level up to about 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) high.
Sometimes, people get this tree confused with other similar-looking trees. For example, some reports say it grows in the mountains of Argentina. However, this might be a mistake. People might be confusing it with the cedro negro (which means "Black Cedar") or nogal (which means "walnut"). These names are sometimes used for the Juglans neotropica, another type of walnut tree.
Uses of the Walnut Tree
The Juglans olanchana tree is important for a few reasons. Its wood is very useful, and its nuts can be eaten.
Valuable Wood
The trunk of the Juglans olanchana tree is usually straight and round. It can be free of branches for a long way up, from 5 to 15 meters (16 to 49 feet). The wood from the center of the tree, called heartwood, is a dark coffee color. It is not too heavy and lasts a long time.
This wood is easy to work with and looks beautiful when finished. Because of these qualities, it is used for many things. People use it for light building projects and for making fancy furniture. It is also popular for parquet floors, which are floors made of small pieces of wood in patterns. The wood is also used for making musical instruments and for thin sheets of wood called veneer.
Edible Fruit
The nuts that grow on the Juglans olanchana tree are safe to eat. Besides the nuts, the outer covering of the nut, called the husk, is also useful. It can be used to make a special dye for coloring leather.
