Is this a black walnut or English (Persian) type? I also would be curious to hear if they would grow in the North. So far I have never found anyone who grows English walnuts in the North.
Northwoodswis

Have not grown manchurian, but my impression is that it's very similar to J.ailantifolia, the Japanese walnut - which tends toward a more spreading, 'orchard-tree' type of habit, even as a seedling, than J.nigra. Nuts strongly resemble those of J.cinerea, the butternut - and it probably will hybridize with butternut.
To me, the Asian walnuts have an almost 'tropical' appearance, with regard to leaf and growth habits.

north - its from the area some call manchuria, from N korea to eastern russia.

Lucky, its my understanding that it is a "wild type" of the heartnut (which is a type of japanese walnut or no?). There is one thing that seems consistent, the juglans produced isnt nearly as high quantities as others walnuts, or plants in this family. I have also read that it can produce in 3-5 years from seed. I cant find any practical experience though, just a few articles and sites that pop up no matter what i search in google.

There are about 20 species of walnuts. Heartnut is Juglans ailantifolia var. cordiformis and Manchurian walnut is J. mandshurica. The only thing about var. cordiformis that is different from J. ailantifolia is the shape of the fruit. J. ailantifolia is native to Japan and J. mandshurica is native to Northeast Russia, Northeast China and Korea. These large-leaved Asian species are told apart from one another by details of the fruits etc. The common mode is a broad, low-forking, open-branching tree with conspicuous big leaflets and hanging chains of large nuts.

bboy's description: "The common mode is a broad, low-forking, open-branching tree with conspicuous big leaflets and hanging chains of large nuts." is in keeping with my experience, and a very concise characterization.
Grew out a number of Japanese walnut seedlings several years ago - but the Easter Big Freeze Disaster of 2007 killed all but one of them outright (also killed butternuts back to the ground and nuked all my grafted Carpathians back to their J.nigra rootstock.
Sole surviving J.ailantifolia seedling, planted at my kids' elementary school in 2001, is big and healthy, but has never produced nuts - but there may not be a suitable pollenizer around for it; guess I ought plant a couple of J.cinerea seedlings on the property, or graft a heartnut to get the job done.

It would seem from its origin that it would grow in the North, but no one specifically reports having harvested any nuts from them in North America on this forum that I know of. If any of you have any first-hand experience with them, speak up now, please! I have toyed with planting English-type walnuts for years, but always have changed my mind after any research or inquiries I have made. I have enjoyed the walnuts from our dad's walnut tree in north-central California, but now we must prepare to sell his rural estate, so no more walnuts for us from that tree. Sob! Northwoodswis

Thanks bboy. From the few descriptions that seems to be it. I have also read that it is self fertile? Do you have any personal experience with manchurians? So manchurians are not the same as japanese walnuts, despite the taxonomic confusion?

Lucky - I find it odd that butternuts would die back like that in zone 6. There are a few up here in NW ontario that do fine. They made it in toronto, even with the winter that past.

North - it seems the tree isnt very popular over here. IT was tested and rated as "satisfactory" in some places in alberta, and apparently a few specimens in edmonton are noteable. IF it survives and does ok in edmonton, us in zone 4 should have some luck.

Again, there is very little online regarding care in the yard, or peoples experiences

Scattered large examples of what appear to be all the Asian walnuts of this type as well as the related butternut are present in the rural landscape here. But I do not grow any myself, as this is USDA 8 anyway.

John H. Gordon grew - and offered seedlings - of the 'Covel' manchurian walnut - or a hybrid of it - from his nursery in Amherst NY, where he specialized in nut trees for northern growers. (JHG passed away several years ago...don't think the nursery is still in operation, but parts of his website are still up - linked below)

2007 was a disaster - and a good illustration of how important it is WHEN it gets cold, as compared to HOW cold it gets. Butternut is noted for its cold-hardiness...but we'd had an exceptionally warm Feb/March - with several days in March with temps into the mid-80s. Things had broken dormancy far too early - I had pecans/walnuts/persimmons with 8-10 inches of tender new growth...then, 4 consecutive nights of temps into the teens, at Easter.
Killed a lot of things outright, some just back to the root collar. Big mature oaks/hickories in the forest here were killed back to their main trunks - branches larger around than my thigh...dead. Some of those trees are still dying off after that insult and the ensuing drought that followed; it's just taken a while...

Here is a link that might be useful: John H. 'Nuttree' Gordon

There is a Manchurian walnut in Fairbanks, Alaska that's been growing for about 20 years. It produced one nut last year. No sign of winter injury.

There are many J. ailahtifolia here in southern Finland, all producing wildly, and seen many seedlings all around the mature trees. And we don't have so many growind degree days here, compared to USA or southern Canada, so I'd think anyone there would find it easy to grow Japanese walnut - and I think also mandcurian. Japanese walnut is often almost round, while mandchurian is more pear/butternut shape. From tree shape and leaflets they are difficult to distinguish.