Nut Shells

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Decumbent Cincinnati, OH(Zone 6b) Feb 01, 2006

What are nut shells made of? Is it considered wood?

Scott

Post #2015284
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raisedbedbob Walkerton, VA(Zone 7a) Feb 01, 2006

In botany, A true nut is a dry one-seeded fruit which is indehiscent (i.e., does not split open along a definite seam at maturity). Among the true nuts are the acorn, chestnut, and hazelnut. Commonly the word nut is used for any seed or fruit having an edible kernel surrounded by a hard or brittle covering. Thus the peanut pod is actually a legume, the Brazil nut is a seed enclosed with others in a capsule, and the almond is part of a drupe, a type of fruit that includes olives and peaches. Others that are not botanically true nuts are the cashew, coconut, litchi, pistachio, and walnut. Nut shells may wood-like, but they don't contain the vascular structures found in true wood, both monocotyledons and dicotyledons.

Post #2015331
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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) Feb 01, 2006

So, "in a nutshell", what are they made of?

Post #2015956
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raisedbedbob Walkerton, VA(Zone 7a) Feb 02, 2006

Well, growin, the simple answer is that they are made of specialized cells unique to each plant. I don't pretend to know what the cellular structure is of every "nut". The
wall of a fruit is the pericarp. It encloses the seed and is derived from the ovary wall. In fruits such as the acorn, the pericarp becomes dry and hard, forming a shell around the seed. In fleshy fruits, the pericarp is typically made up of three distinct layers: The epicarp, or exocarp, forms the tough outer skin of the fruit, while the mesocarp is often fleshy and forms the middle layers. The innermost layer or endocarp, which surrounds the seeds, may be membranous or thick and hard, as in the drupe (stone) of cherries, plums, and apricots.

Post #2016302
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dwk001 Naperville, IL(Zone 5b) Feb 02, 2006

In a Google search, I found the biopolymers cellulose and lignin (major chemical constituents of wood) also to be the major components (>60% by dry weight) of various kinds of nutshells, including the familiar shells of walnuts and the less-familiar shells of cashews.

Post #2016552
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Decumbent Cincinnati, OH(Zone 6b) Feb 02, 2006

So, maybe most of the constituents of wood but without the vascular structure?

Scott

Post #2017419
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raisedbedbob Walkerton, VA(Zone 7a) Feb 02, 2006

That's sounds right to me.

Post #2017493
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