Clausen, R: University of California Publications in Agricul

Excerpt from University of California Publications in Agricultural Sciences, 1913-1929, Vol. 2

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these trees is their resemblance to oak trees. In mass effect they resemble small leaved oaks more than walnuts. This is mostly due to the small size of the leaves and to their color, which is a darker or duller shade of green than that of California black walnut leaves. These features, associated with the fact, noted by Disher, that the parent tree stood close beside a coast live oak tree (quercus agrifolia Née), are sufficient to account for the View, held by a number of persons, that this new form originated through hybridization between walnut and oak.

As the seeds were planted in 1901, these trees are now twelve years old. The two retained by Mr. Disher were left in the nursery, which was set out to commercial varieties of walnut (juglans regia) later on by the owner of the farm. He has allowed the trees to stand unmolested, except for trim ming up low-hanging branches. Now they have attained a height of twenty-five feet and have a spread of branches about twenty feet in diameter. Seen among the broad-leaved English walnuts, these two trees present a distinct appearance with their many slender branchlets and their sparse foliage. In early spring and late autumn or early winter the contrast is even greater, because these trees and other specimens of the new form resemble south ern California black walnuts in the brevity of their dormant period. They leaf out very early in spring and some leaves per sist until February. The English walnuts, however, come into leaf from April to June, according to the variety, and by Nov ember are once more leafless.

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