Heartnut: Juglans ailantifolia var. cordiformis: 50′ high x 50′ wide / full sun to light shade / zone 4
These Japanese walnuts have nuts shaped like hearts, which taste much like carpathian walnuts but they’re easier to extract from the shell and they’re hardier, and so more suited to Ontario’s climate. Some breeding work has produced trees which bear more regularly with larger nuts; ours are seedlings of selected varieties. The shells look like lockets, and can be used to make necklaces, etc. An excellent nut for home production.
