tupelogum
Nyssa aquatica L.
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Form
water tupelo form water tupelo form
Habitat
water tupelo habitat water tupelo habitat water tupelo habitat water tupelo habitat
Leaves
water tupelo leaves water tupelo leaves water tupelo leaves water tupelo leaves water tupelo leaves (underside)
Twigs
water tupelo twig water tupelo twig water tupelo twig water tupelo twig: pith water tupelo twig: pith
Bark
water tupelo bark
Flowers
Fruit
water tupelo fruit water tupelp fruit
  • FAMILY: CORNACEAE (formerly NYSSACEAE)
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: water tupelo
  • LEAVES: alternate, simple, deciduous; blades 5-12” long, narrow elliptic, margins entire or with one to few coarse dentate teeth; lower surface silvery
  • FLOWER: imperfect (or perfect), plants monoecious (or polygamous); staminate flowers in a headlike clusters; pistillate/bisexual flowers solitary, subtended by 2-several unequal bracts; flowering in early spring before leaves emerge
  • FRUIT: dark blue or purple drupe to 1” long; pedicels much longer than drupes; maturing in summer, water disseminated
  • TWIGS: moderately stout, reddish brown, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, leaf scars rounded to heart-shaped with 3 conspicuous bundle scars; pith diaphragmed
  • BARK: grayish brown to brown, furrowed with longitudinal scaly ridge
  • FORM: large tree with swollen buttressed bases
  • HABITAT: swamps, floodplain lakes, lake shores
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Obligate Wetland (OBL): Almost always occurs in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
  • RANGE: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains  [USGS Map]
  • USES: wood cannot be split due to interlocking grain; wood used for furniture, tools, pulp, veneer for plywood; butt logs traditionally used to carve duck decoys, which can be carved when green and soft, and then be allowed to dry without cracking; good honey tree
  • WILDLIFE: deer browse lowers stems and leaves; fruit eaten by bears, raccoons, quail, turkey, wood ducks, and songbirds
    • Best Recognition Features:
    1. large tree of swamps and lakes usually with swollen buttressed bases
    2. large simple leaves often with a few irregular marginal teeth; undersurfaces silvery
    3. fruit a large blue-purple drupe with pedicels longer than drupes; drupes can be seen floating in water in swamps
    LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources

    School of Renewable Natural Reources    		 Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours
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    LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources
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