West Indian walnut

This is a large tree which can reach 25 meters in height. The compound leaves are each made up of several lance-shaped, toothed leaflets up to 9 centimeters long. Trees bear male and female inflorescences, the male a catkin up to 11 centimeters long and the female an array of flowers at the end of a newly grown shoot. The fruit is a drupe roughly 2 to 3 centimeters long with a black husk and a seed, which is an edible walnut meat, inside.

The West Indian walnut, or nogal, has been added to the Federal endangered species list, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southeast Regional Director, Noreen K. Clough. This large, forest tree may reach a height of 80 feet and can be found in Puerto Rico and on the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, where it is described as "uncommon." West Indian walnut trees are found in a single location within the central mountain area of Adjuntas in Puerto Rico. More