Southern California Walnut
Juglans californica
- Native to:
- United States
The original uploader was Geographer (en.wikipedia.org) at English Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) .
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Juglandaceae
- Genus:
- Juglans
- Species:
- Juglans californica
- USDA Symbol:
- JUCA
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Shrub , Tree
- Height:
- 900 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr,may
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★★★ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Leconte's haploa (Haploa lecontei), Semiothisa aspirata, Spilosoma vestalis, Western tussock moth (Orgyia vetusta)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Moths:Stigmella longisacca
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, squirrels, small mammals
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fall Color:
- yellow
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from the root crown following fire; multi-stemmed growth form often results from past fire events.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- well-drained, sandy loam soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- prefers alluvial soils in native habitat
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 90–120 days
- Germination Time:
- 30–60 days
- Notes:
- Seeds require cold stratification; plant nuts 2-3 inches deep in fall for natural stratification or refrigerate in moist medium.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 90 days.
Source: Claude AI