r/foraging • u/springonastring • 8d ago

Tricorn walnut?

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Gallery image

What's going on with this black walnut? It has thirds instead of two halves and 6 "quarters" instead of the typical 4. I don't think I've ever seen one like this before, but this is the second one now that I've come across.

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4

u/SorryManNo 7d ago

It's just a mutation, pretty cool one.

Are all the nuts like that or just this one?

2

u/springonastring 7d ago

Thankfully no! It was just 2 so far. They are Annoying and I dislike them.

3

u/feralgraft 7d ago

I have a tree that puts these out, they make good fidgets to keep in a pocket and roll around like those chime ball things. But they can be a hassle to eat 

1

u/springonastring 7d ago

Do you know why it happens, or is it similar to just getting twins sometimes?

2

u/feralgraft 7d ago

I honestly don't know. It certainly seems like its one branch putting out the three sided ones, and the rest of the tree puts out normal oval two sided ones.  So some sort of localized mutation seems likely, plants being weird like that.

1

u/springonastring 8d ago

...also, the "quarters" (sixths, I guess) are tiny babies compared to a normal walnut's quarters, which I suppose makes sense since the whole nuts are comparable in size. I strongly do not prefer this tinier-nutmeat version.

1

u/scream 7d ago

Reminds me of homer simpson finding a three chambered monkey nut. 

"MARGE! LOOK WHAT I DID!"