To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Protecting the Butternut Tree
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 20:06:17 -0500
----- 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.
I've got a number of other seedlings, from nuts I got from Cliff England, and
while some may have been from pure butternuts, there's a decent chance that
at least some of them were from hybrids.