Wisdom Walnut
Southeast England, UK
Walnut Tree planted in the grounds of Notre Dame (now Lingfield College)
Planted by Paul’s school friends – The class of 2003
Lifelong friendships were forged for Paul and his peers at Notre Dame School in Lingfield, Surrey. His school year, the class of 2003, and Lingfield College Alumni have come together to plant a walnut tree in Paul’s name in the school’s grounds to collectively remember Paul, who was a friend to so many.
It was in the science labs at school that Paul began his fruitful journey into research and developed his appetite for learning. The school’s setting – surrounded by trees, greenery and wildlife – undoubtedly sowed seeds of his passion for conservation too.
The walnut – literally resembling a brain and synonymous with inspiration and knowledge – felt a fitting choice to plant in his name. Paul’s walnut tree will inspire and stand tall over generations of future conservationists embarking on a learning journey at his old school.
Walnut trees are any species of tree in the plant genus Juglans, the type genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are referred to as walnuts. All species are deciduous trees, 10–40 metres (33–131 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres (7.9–35.4 in), with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts (Pterocarya), but not the hickories (Carya) in the same family.The 21 species in the genus range across the north temperate Old World from southeast Europe east to Japan, and more widely in the New World from southeast Canada west to California and south to Argentina.Edible walnuts, which are consumed worldwide, are usually harvested from cultivated varieties of the species Juglans regia.
