Book IX, Chapter III

Of the walnut trees from this island of Hispaniola.

Translated by Carly Fajardo ’23

On this island’s wild hills, jungles, and mountains there are some large walnut trees that, in their appearance, smell, leaves, and fruit, are at first sight like those of Spain, except that their nuts are not perfect and the fruit is hard to pick, nor can they be eaten except when necessary. But in that northern land, where captain Pámphilo de Narvaez and his people got lost, it is considered a good fruit; and on this northern coast where they are seen, agriculturalists and knowledgeable people say that if they were to be grafted they would be very good and perfect walnut trees, in the fruit as in everything else, because in truth these are wild walnut trees. And their wood is very good.

Image: Engraving of the walnut taken from a french Larousse encyclopedia in 1922.