A yellow or orange dye can be made from the husks of the nuts. Juglans nigra This valuable forest tree occurs on rich bottom lands and moist, fertile hillsides throughout the state. In the forest, the black walnut frequently attains heights of 100 feet with a straight stem, clear of branches halfway up the tree. Growing in open areas, the stem is short and the crown is broad and spreading. The leaves are alternate and odd-pinnately compound.
Foliage is a yellowish-green color.
Leaf scars lack a hairy, felt-like margin on the upper edge of the leaf scar. Eastern Black Walnut Buds have few scales. Lateral buds are smaller than the terminal buds. Pith in the twigs is buff-colored and chambered after the first season. The bark is thick, dark brown in color, and divided by rather deep fissures into rounded ridges.