Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Cornales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nyssa aquatica
FAMILY
Nyssaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Water Tupelo at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nyssa aquatica
FAMILY
Cornaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Nyssa aquatica
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 141-01-002:
Nyssa aquatica FAMILY Nyssaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Nyssa uniflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nyssa aquatica
COMMON NAME:
Water Tupelo, Cotton Gum, Tupelo Gum
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_816
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_nyaq2_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_nyaq2_006_lvd
)
John B. Nelson jbn_6910583866_89e20acf13
April Richland County SC
Flowers green, inconspicuous; staminate in dense clusters at peduncle end, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Mark A. Musselman mam_tupelo041108
April Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
)
Will Stuart wil_8457618601_1f7f364819
April Charleston County SC
Magnolia Plantation's Audubon Swamp
A tall tree, to 30m, with a long clear trunk with a buttressed base, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
Will Stuart wil_8496448860_6e47a4aa12
April Dorchester County SC
Francis Biedler Forest
Leaves entire or coarsely toothed, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Mark A. Musselman mam_tupelo_fruit071508
July Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
Fruit bluish-purple at maturity, borne on a stalk longer than the fruit, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Mark A. Musselman mam_tupelo_fruit093009
September Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
)
Mark A. Musselman mam_tupelo093009
September Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_n_aquatica_mc_2
October Floyd County GA
Coosa Prairies
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_n_aquatica_mc_4
October Floyd County GA
Coosa Prairies
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmnaquatica_barkbiedler
Month Unknown SC
Francis Biedler Forest
Bark moderately furrowed into rather narrow longitudinal ridges, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmnaquatica_biedler1
Month Unknown SC
Francis Biedler Forest
Acuminate lvs, 1-2" petioles, & glabrous twig distinguish it from N. ogeche, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nyssa aquatica
FAMILY
Nyssaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nyssa aquatica
FAMILY
Cornaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Nyssa aquatica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 141-01-002:
Nyssa aquatica
FAMILY
Nyssaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Nyssa uniflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nyssa aquatica
975
Tree
Perennial
Dioecious or polygamo-dioecious
Habitat: River swamps, less typically in isolated upland ponds, where inundated for substantial periods of time, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Green
5 sepals
5-10 petals or petals absent
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Blue/Purple
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p047
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p301
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p382
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p160
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p115
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p193
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p255
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p127
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p220
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