Country diary: how wayside walnuts grew to benefit the community

Porlock Vale, Somerset: Brought to England by the Romans, the nuts were used as charms to increase wealthRub a walnut leaf between your fingers and it releases an exquisite perfume. Some say the smell is reminiscent of furniture polish, but I think it's woodier, a pure essence of tree. The scent comes from an aromatic chemical called juglone, which is unique to walnut trees.While the ancient Greeks thought the wrinkled nuts looked like brains and called them karyon or heads, the Romans had a lower body part in mind. They dedicated the tree to Jupiter and named its produce "glands of Jupiter", shortened to juglans; literally "Jupiter's nuts". Continue reading...