// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Nyssa aquatica say? "I'm rooted.
| Nyssa aquatica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A stand of Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Cornales |
| Family: | Nyssaceae |
| Genus: | Nyssa |
| Species: | N. aquatica |
| Binomial name | |
| Nyssa aquatica | |
 | |
| Natural range | |
Nyssa aquatica, commonly called the water tupelo,[2] cottongum,[3] wild olive,[3] large tupelo,[3] tupelo-gum,[2] or water-gum,[2] is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus (Nyssa) that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United States.[4]
Nyssa aquatica trunks have a swollen base that tapers up to a long, clear bole, and its root system is periodically underwater.[4] Water tupelo trees often occur in pure stands.
Names
[edit]Nyssa aquatica's genus name (Nyssa) refers to a Greek water nymph;[5] the species epithet aquatica, meaning 'aquatic', refers to its swamp and wetland habitat.
One of the species' common names, tupelo, is of Native American origin, coming from the Creek words ito 'tree' and opilwa 'swamp'; it was in use by the mid-18th century[6]
Description
[edit]
Male flowers are borne in clustered inflorescences, while female flowers and bisexual flowers arise individually or as pairs.[7] It is distinguished in part from Nyssa ogeche by typically having longer leaf petioles.[8][9][10] It has 1-inch-long (2.5 cm) fruits,[11] longer than those of Nyssa sylvatica,[12] that are borne on 1.2-inch (3 cm) extended peduncles.[7]
Uses
[edit]A large mature tree can produce commercial timber used for furniture and crates. The swollen base of the Nyssa aquatica is the source of a favored wood of wood carvers.
Many kinds of wildlife eat the fruit, and it is a favored honey tree.[4]
The largest water tupelo tree specimens, according to the 2021 National Register of Champion Trees, are located in Greensville County, Virginia and White County, Arkansas. According to American Forests' champion trees official register, these trees have trunk circumferences of 46.9 feet and 37.6 feet, heights of 108 feet and 125 feet and crown spreads of 53 feet and 92.5 feet, respectively.[13]
Gallery
[edit]
Branch with inflorescences
Seeds
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References
[edit]- ↑ Stritch, L. (2018). "Nyssa aquatica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T61990552A61990555. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T61990552A61990555.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Nyssa aquatica". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- 1 2 3 Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-02-505470-7.
- 1 2 3 Johnson, R. L. (1990). "Nyssa sylvatica". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Hardwoods. Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – via Southern Research Station.
- ↑ Werthner, William B. (1935). Some American Trees: An intimate study of native Ohio trees. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. xviii + 398 pp.
- ↑ New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd ed.).
- 1 2 Tucker, Gordon C.; Park, Tracy J. (2016). "Nyssa aquatica Linnaeus". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America. Vol. 12. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190643720.
- ↑ Marlow, Jane, ed. (24 April 2022). "Nyssa aquatica". Native & Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas & Georgia. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Ogeechee tupelo". Virginia Tech Dendrology. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Tucker, Gordon C.; Park, Tracy J. (2016). "Nyssa ogeche W. Bartram ex Marshall". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America. Vol. 12. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190643720. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "water tupelo". Virginia Tech Dendrology. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Nyssa aquatica". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "2021 National Register of Champion Trees" (PDF). American Forests. 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
External links
[edit]- Louisiana State University: page on Nyssa aquatica in America,
- bioimages.vanderbilt.edu - Nyssa aquatica images
- woodworkingnetwork.com: "All About Tupelo Wood" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine