Botanical Name: (Juglans x paradox (J. hindsii x J. regia))
Heartwood colors can vary from lighter golden yellow to reddish brown, sometimes with darker brown to nearly black streaks. Paler sapwood isn’t always sharly demarcated from the heartwood. Curly or rippled grain is also seen on some sections.
Plant breeder Luther Burbank experimented with hybrid walnuts beginning in the 1890s, and cross pollinated the native Claro Walnut with English Walnut. The resulting hybrid was quite puzzling: the tree grew grew faster than either of the parent species, and also yielded harder and stronger lumber (though unfortunately it didn’t produce very many walnuts). Because of these anomalies, Burbank named the hybrid “Paradox.” The name Bastogne Walnut appears to be a marketing term, and is not commonly used outside of woodworking circles.
Courtesy of The Wood Database
