| Black Walnut, which has the Scientific or Latin name | | | | customer orders. While other timbers are also used |
| of Juglans Nigra, is one of the most admired | | | | for gunstocks, Black Walnut is popular for its various |
| hardwoods in the furniture trade at the present time, | | | | strengths including elasticity and rupture strengths |
| especially in the United Kingdom. Prized for its dark | | | | which are significantly higher than Persian Walnut |
| brown colour by end users and for its strength, yet | | | | (Scientific or Latin Name: Juglans Regia, also known as |
| high workability by woodworkers, it's no wonder that | | | | European, Common or English Walnut). |
| demand for this hardwood is at an all time high. | | | | Black Walnut is also used to create coffins, especially |
| As a tree Black Walnut is native to the Eastern | | | | in America, partly because of the lure of historical |
| regions of the United States and Canada, its region | | | | figures who have been buried in Black Walnut coffins: |
| of growth extending from Ontario to Texas and | | | | Abraham Lincoln, for instance, was buried in a Black |
| from Florida to Manitoba. It also grows in Europe | | | | Walnut coffin which was covered in a woollen fabric |
| since being introduced to Europe almost four hundred | | | | in black and decorated with studs in the pattern of a |
| years ago (1629) however the primary source of | | | | shamrock. A replica of this coffin is seen by the |
| timber in Europe is still North America. It primarily | | | | thousands of visitors to the Museum of Funeral |
| grows alongside lowland rivers (due preferring high | | | | Customs in Springfield, Illinois, many of whom have |
| water tables) in warmer regions, where it attains | | | | come for the nearby tomb of Lincoln. Lincoln was not |
| heights between 30 and 40 metres (100 to 130 feet). | | | | alone to be buried in Black Walnut, the relative |
| The bark is a dark gray, with deep furrows, the | | | | abundance of the trees at the time coupled with |
| leaves has 15-23 leaflets, flowering into catkins or | | | | their finer woodworking qualities and dark, reflecting |
| clusters depending on gender. | | | | the sombre mood of funerals, appearance meant |
| The hardwood that Black Walnut trees produce has | | | | that they were a popular choice of coffin at the time |
| a dark coloured heartwood, which has long been | | | | - this is reflected in the coffins of various other |
| popular in America partly due to it being the darkest | | | | historical personalities to have been buried in Black |
| of all North American hardwoods, and due to its | | | | Walnut, US president Zachary Taylor, upon reburial |
| exception qualities. Thus it was used in great | | | | the frontierswoman and adopted Seneca Mary |
| numbers by the early colonists of the United States | | | | Jemison, and executed abolitionist John Brown. |
| in their homes. While the expense now puts this | | | | In addition to timber, Black Walnut trees produce |
| extravagance out of reach of the majority of | | | | Walnuts that are used both in foods such as ice |
| people, individual items of furniture or rooms | | | | cream, pies, cookies and cakes as well as in cleaning |
| produced from black walnut, as well as furniture | | | | and cosmetic products produced from the shells. It is |
| made from veneers are still popular. | | | | preferred by many over the nuts from Persian |
| Traditionally Black Walnut hardwood was used, | | | | Walnut because of its stronger taste and high |
| among other uses, to manufacture gun stocks, of | | | | protein, unsaturated fat and low cholesterol. However |
| which still uses a significant proportion of the lumber | | | | due to the work that must be put in to prepare a |
| harvest in the USA. These are often made into | | | | black walnut nuts due to a staining fluid in the husk, |
| profiles by timber product manufacturers to bespoke | | | | Persian Walnuts are more widely produced. |