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Butternut

Butternut (), also known as white walnut, is a tree in the family () native to the and southeastern . It typically grows to 40–60 feet in height with an open, broadly rounded crown, featuring alternate, pinnately compound leaves 10–20 inches long with 11–19 oblong to lanceolate leaflets that turn yellow in fall. The tree produces separate male and female flowers in spring—yellow-green catkins for males and short spikes for females—yielding edible, oval nuts (1.5–2.2 inches long) encased in sticky green husks with ridges, which mature in to October and contain sweet, oily kernels historically pressed by for a butter-like oil. Thriving in moist bottomlands, riverbanks, swamps, and rich, well-drained soils along with some drier areas, butternut prefers full sun and is intolerant of , though it develops a deep making transplantation difficult. Its lightweight, beige-pink , lighter than that of black walnut, has been used for furniture, , and instrument cases, while the nuts serve culinary purposes such as in candies or . However, populations have declined sharply—by about 44% rangewide—primarily due to butternut , a fatal fungal disease (Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum) with no known cure that affects trees of all ages, compounded by overharvesting, hybridization with , and pre-emptive ; this has led to a global conservation rank of vulnerable () and endangered status in parts of and several U.S. states. The tree also produces , a toxic compound allelopathic to nearby , and is susceptible to pests like nut curculios and borers.

Plants

Butternut Tree (Juglans cinerea)

Juglans cinerea, commonly known as butternut or white walnut, is a native to eastern , ranging from southeast through the northeastern and to the and as far south as northern . It typically inhabits moist, well-drained soils in bottomlands, along streambanks, river valleys, and hillsides, often in mixed hardwood forests with species like sugar maple and yellow birch. The reaches heights of 12 to 18 meters (40 to 60 feet), occasionally up to 30 meters (100 feet), with a short trunk and spreading crown formed by stout branches. Its bark is light gray, smooth on young trees, becoming furrowed and scaly with age. The leaves are pinnately compound, 30 to 60 cm long, with 11 to 19 lance-shaped leaflets that emit a characteristic when crushed, similar to but milder than that of black walnut. Male and female flowers appear in catkins on the same tree, with occurring via wind. Fruits are oblong, oily nuts, 4 to 6 cm long, enclosed in sticky, green husks that turn brown and split at maturity, typically ripening in late summer to fall. The nuts possess a rich, buttery flavor after removal of the husk and proper curing to prevent rancidity due to high oil content. Butternut wood is light tan to pale brown, straight-grained, and relatively soft with a coarse , making it easier to work than harder walnuts but less durable. Historically, it has been utilized for furniture, , paneling, and due to its workability and attractive figure, though commercial harvesting has declined with the species' rarity. Indigenous peoples and early settlers foraged the nuts for food, extracting oil for culinary and medicinal purposes, while the husks provided a yellow-brown . The tree's populations have undergone severe decline since the 1960s due to butternut canker, a lethal fungal caused by Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum, which produces stem and branch cankers leading to and death. First documented in in , the pathogen has spread across the native range, causing extensive mortality—often exceeding 80% in affected stands—and killing trees of all ages without effective natural resistance. Classified as endangered on the , conservation efforts include identifying and propagating naturally resistant individuals and developing hybrids with Japanese walnut (Juglans ailantifolia) to introgress resistance genes while preserving .

Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata)

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is a winter squash cultivar distinguished by its smooth, tan-yellow rind, deep orange flesh, and distinctive pear-like shape with a bulbous base tapering to a slender neck, typically weighing 2 to 3 pounds per fruit. The variety originated in the United States during the 1930s to 1940s as a result of natural outcrossing or selective crossing involving crookneck or gooseneck types within C. moschata, yielding a non-stringy, sweet flesh suited for storage and cooking. As a warm-season annual vine crop, it belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and traces its species origins to domestication in the tropical Americas, with archaeological evidence of C. moschata use dating back over 1,500 years in regions like the southwestern United States. Cultivation requires full sun exposure, well-drained fertile or sandy loam soils, and a range of 5.5 to 6.8 to optimize nutrient uptake and prevent issues like . mature in 80 to 120 days from seeding, with fruit set occurring 50 to 55 days after in vining types spaced 6 to 12 feet apart to accommodate sprawling growth. Optimal yields under and good management can reach levels comparable to other winter squashes, with potential exceeding 8 tons per in favorable conditions like those in Oklahoma's irrigated fields. Nutritionally, raw butternut squash provides approximately 45 calories per 100 grams, with 2 grams of , 21 milligrams of (about 23% of the daily value), and 350 milligrams of , alongside high levels of beta-carotene contributing to its orange hue and provitamin A content exceeding 5,000 micrograms per 100 grams. These antioxidants, including beta-carotene, exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in empirical studies, while the low (typically under 55) aids blood sugar regulation due to its complex carbohydrate profile dominated by slowly digestible starches. For storage, uncured fruits maintain quality for 2 to 3 months at room temperatures around 55 to 60°F with 50 to 70% and good , though curing at warmer temperatures (10 to 14 days post-harvest) extends by hardening the rind. Its sweet, nutty —derived from natural sugars and lack of fibrous strings—makes it versatile for culinary applications such as , pureeing into soups, or , where cooking enhances beta-carotene . Common pests include squash vine borers (Melittia cucurbitae), whose larvae tunnel into stems causing wilting, and diseases like (Podosphaera xanthii), a fungal thriving in warm, humid conditions that manifests as white powdery spots on leaves, reducing . Organic management strategies emphasize every 2 to 3 years to disrupt cycles, use of row covers to exclude adult borers during early growth, and selection of resistant hybrid varieties, with hand-removal of eggs or borers providing localized control.

Historical and Cultural References

Butternut as a Nickname for Confederates

The term "butternut" emerged in the early to describe Southern migrants—primarily yeoman farmers from , , and the —who settled in the southern portions of , , and within the Old Northwest Territory. These settlers relied on homespun wool dyed tan-brown using hulls or bark from the butternut tree (), a readily available resource that produced durable, weather-resistant fabric suited to self-sufficiency. During the (1861–1865), "butternut" extended to Confederate soldiers, reflecting their widespread use of similar homespun uniforms amid acute textile shortages from the and scant industrial capacity. Natural dyes from butternut hulls, roots, or other local sources yielded the signature yellowish-brown shade, often applied to coarse cloth or captured garments stripped of blue dye, contrasting sharply with standardized Union wool. Union accounts, including soldier diaries and military dispatches, routinely applied the to denote the motley, ragged attire of Southern forces, underscoring Confederate improvisation against logistical constraints; by mid-1862, such garb predominated as gray factory cloth dwindled. The carried connotations of agrarian tenacity, persisting in post-war memoirs that highlighted decentralized Southern production over Northern mechanization, though it faded as a common reference by the late 1860s.

Geographical Locations

Settlements and Features Named Butternut

Butternut is a village in Ashland County, Wisconsin, with a population of 366 as recorded in the 2020 United States Census. Originally settled in the mid-19th century amid logging operations in the region's hardwood forests, the community developed around the construction of the Wisconsin Central Railroad in the 1870s, with the village platted in 1878. Its economy has shifted from timber to tourism, bolstered by proximity to Butternut Lake and the Ski Butternut resort, which began operations in 1963 and features ongoing infrastructure improvements, including a new quad chairlift announced for installation in spring 2025 to replace a 50-year-old triple. Several natural features bear the name Butternut, notably lakes supporting . Butternut Lake in , spans approximately 1,200 acres with a maximum depth of 32 feet and is renowned for musky, , and , accessible via public boat landings and attracting year-round anglers. In , smaller Butternut Lakes exist, such as the 26-acre body in Crow Wing County with depths up to 34 feet, known for crappie, perch, , and muskie along weedlines and cribs. In , Butternut refers to a former populated place within Bloomer Township, Montcalm , established around with a peak population exceeding 200 residents tied to railroad prosperity before declining into a by the early . These names across Midwestern locales generally trace to the prevalence of butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) in local forests during the 19th-century settlement era, when European-American expansion into wooded areas prompted designations based on prominent flora.

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