Juglans hindsii, the Hinds' black walnut, also called the Northern California walnut, is a large tree (up to 60 feet tall) endemic to roughly circular area in California centered near Fresno and reaching the San Francisco Bay area. Some authorities (i.e. California Native Plant Society) describe this species as the subspecies hindsii of the Southern California black walnut, J. californica . This article uses the The Jepson Manual.
J. hindsii, generally found in the northern half of the state, is a large tree, 30 to 60 feet high, with a single erect trunk commonly without branches for 10-40 feet and a crown which can be wider than the tree is tall. Specimens commonly reach five to six feet in diameter near the base of the tree. The leaf is approximately 1 ft long, with 13-21 two to five-in leaflets with dentate margins. Unlike the Southern California walnut, the vein angles bear tufts of hair. The nut has a smooth, brown, thick shell containing a small edible nutmeat.
J. hindsii is endangered, with possibly only a few native stands remaining. It grows in riparian woodlands, either in single species stands or mixed with California's oaks (Quercus) and cottonwoods (Populus). J. hindsii is commercially important as a rootstock for English walnut (Juglans regia) orchards all over the world, both on its own and as a parent to the fast-growing Luther Burbank hybrid, commonly called "Paradox"J. hindsii x J. regia . J. hindsii is cultivated as an ornamental tree wherever it will grow in California, and in Hawaii.
Read more about Juglans Hindsii: Wood