Common walnut

Arslanbob is home to the world’s largest natural walnut forest – planted, legend says, at the bidding of the Prophet.

The common walnut is a stately tree growing to 25–30 m, with a broad crown, silvery-grey bark and large, pinnate, aromatic leaves. The fruits have a green, fleshy husk hiding a hard shell with an edible seed inside. In the wild it grows in moist valleys and on mountain slopes at about 1,000–2,000 m. The nuts are highly nutritious, and the wood is one of the most valuable in furniture-making.

Significance in the country

The wild walnut and fruit forests of the western Tian Shan, especially at Arslanbob, are considered one of the places where the walnut originated. The autumn nut harvest is the main source of income for thousands of families, and Kyrgyz walnuts are exported to many countries.

Where it grows

Wild walnut forests grow on the south-western slopes of the Fergana and Chatkal ranges – the largest around Arslanbob and Kara-Alma in Jalal-Abad Region, smaller ones in Osh and Batken regions.

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