North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 08:06 PM 6/30/2005, I wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> bject: [NAFEX] Protecting the Butternut Tree
>
> > <The GOOD news is that hybrids of
> > butternut with Japanese walnut and heartnut can be used to replace pure
> > butternut
> >
> > Yes, but will the hybrids actually drop viable seeds and proceed to 
> move out
> > into the woods and replace the vanishing butternut species?  Donna
> >
> Yes, the seeds are viable.  I've got at least one seedling of 'Bountiful', 
> which has been shown to be a hybrid - no idea what the pollen parent of 
> that particular seedling is, and at 7-8  years, it hasn't made any nuts yet.

Will they move out into the woods?  That I don't know.  I'm planting them, 
but it'll remain to be seen if the local wildlife &/or spring freshets will 
distribute the seeds once they reach bearing age.  Even before the 
appearance - or identification - of butternut blight disease, butternut was 
not an exceptionally common tree in this area of the country.
I have a friend who grew up here and has been a consulting forester for at 
least 20 years in this end of the state, and he indicated that he has never 
seen a butternut in the wild.

Lucky