This article provides you with all the important information about the flowers of the walnut tree: What do they look like, when are they formed and how long do they last? Questions upon questions, the answers to which await you below!
When does the walnut tree bloom and what do its flowers look like?
The walnut tree bears both male and female flowers. Male flowers, also called catkins, appear in April or May, while female flowers usually appear four weeks later. Pollination occurs through the wind.
Male and female flowers
The walnut is a monoecious plant. The tree therefore bears both male and female flowers.
Male flowers in portrait
The male flowers are also called catkins. They are arranged in long, cylindrical and pendulous dust catkins and usually open in April or May. The color of the male flowers is a pretty mix of green and yellow. They are very striking - but more due to the thick inflorescences than the color. The male flowers of the walnut are usually six to twelve centimeters long. What is extremely interesting is that they develop from the axillary buds of the leaves from the previous year.
For everyone who wants to know exactly: Every single male flower consists of
- three to six perigon leaves,
- two leaflets and
- a bract.
These cover the up to 40 stamens that lie inside.
Female flowers in portrait
The female flowers appear very inconspicuous. They are always at the end of this year's current shoots - either in pairs or in clusters of up to five flowers - and usually come four weeks after the catkins.
Here is also a more detailed portrait for those who are interested in botany:
- 10 to 15 mm long
- 5 to 10 mm wide
- four-part Perigon
- Supporting leaves and bracts (initially form a hairy cover)
- inferior, two-leaved ovary
- two striking, feathery scar flaps
- a short stylus
Note: The style, which consists of two parts, brings the two scar lobes into the correct position for fertilization. At first the scars are shiny green, but later they turn reddish.
Type of pollination
The flowers are pollinated by the wind. In technical jargon, this is referred to as anemophilia.
Time of first flowering
As a rule, a walnut tree blooms for the first time when it is around 15 to 20 years old. That's why there is no fruit to harvest beforehand.
