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After the walnut harvest in early autumn, the flowering cycle of the walnut tree begins again in late winter: in the cool season, the plant forms new buds, from which the flowers sprout in spring. Our detailed guide explains how the small walnut buds ultimately develop into the noble-looking blossoms and delicious fruits.
The catkins are the male flowers of the walnut tree
From the buds to the flowers
The deciduous walnut tree is a hermaphroditic or monoecious (monoecious) plant. This means nothing other than that both male and female buds will form on the tree during the winter.
Note: At a young age, the walnut tree may produce only male flowers or only female flowers. However, over the years and as the tree matures, the distribution usually adjusts so that both sexes are represented.
male flowers
The male flowers are usually composed of several quite thick, cylindrical inflorescences. These inflorescences are called catkins. They are about six to twelve centimeters long and contain one to four million pollen grains.
female flowers
The female flowers grow at the end of the fresh shoots. They either sit alone, in pairs, in threes or in small spikes of about 18 to 20 pieces.
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Walnut trees generally bloom between April and June. A special feature occurs: the male flowers usually appear three to four weeks before the female flowers.
Pre-femininity (called protogyny in technical jargon) occurs only rarely, in which case the female flowers start to develop before the male flowers are sexually mature.
Self-pollinating wildflower
The real walnut is a self-pollinating wind-flowering plant - that means nothing other than the pollination of the walnut tree by the wind.
Note for those interested: Wind blood is called anemophilia.
The female inflorescences of the walnut are fertilized by pollen, so that they gradually develop into spherical, green-skinned fruits, under the shell of which the main attraction of the walnut tree finally grows: the edible kernel, which contains so many healthy ingredients.
Note: Apomixis is present in a few varieties of the walnut tree, in which the walnuts develop fruit without any pollination.