Are these cankerous growths?

The following was received via email:

Are these cankerous growths, and are they detrimental to the tree? I noticed them when I started to cut the vine that was growing on the tree, and I am not sure if the two are related.

Thank you for all your help!

 

Looking at your tree, do I see little clumps of leaves more or less directly growing from the trunk? Are these "knobbles" (not knowing the botanical word for these things) partially suppressed lateral branch growth? This appears similar to me to the way that fruit appears to grow from trunks and branches - cauliflory, I believe it is called. Maybe such habit of growing leaves thusly should be called "cauliphylly".

what kind of tree is it, or was it?

....just a thought with no scientific basis.

 

No, they are leaves from the vine. It's a walnut tree, but I'm told it is the wrong sex, and hence the fruit are small and well liked by the squirrels

 

Not answering the question you asked, but walnuts have flowers of both sexes on the trees, and only the female flowers become fruits. But some types of walnut trees' fruits are smaller than others. This one, which might or might not be Juglans cinerea, butternut, is a different species from the ones we harvest to eat.

 

Ahh! It's the remains of the ivy. The pictures online of walnut and butternut canker don't resemble these growths. I will stick with my description as "suppressed lateral branch growth".

 

Thank you! If you are ever in the neighbourhood please take a look. If you walk through the lane between Blenheim and Waterloo between 6th and 7th you will see the tree at the very bottom of the garden. [3330 6th]. Or if I am in, I will be happy to show you the tree.