Practical
Plants

Nyssa aquatica

Water Tupelo

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Nyssa genus in the family Nyssaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Nyssaceae
Genus
Nyssa
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
30 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - occasionally eaten raw but more often used in preserves[2][3]. The fruit is up to 4cm long, it has a thick, tough skin with a thin acid flesh surrounding a large seed[9][5].

Plant part
Fruit

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The wood of the roots is sometimes used for making floats instead of cork[9]. A red dye can be obtained from the burnt bark mixed with water and the ash of red oak (Quercus rubra)[7]. Wood - light, close-grained, soft, difficult to split[9][5][6]. Tough according to one report[6], weak according to another[5]. It has an intricately contorted and twisted grain[9]. It weighs 29lb per cubic foot[6], and is used for various things such as panelling, broom handles, woodenware and crates[9][5]. It is sometimes exploited commercially[5].

Product or use
Cork
Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
South-eastern N. America - Virginia to Florida, west to Illinois and Texas.
Habitat
Swamps, bottomlands, or sites periodically under water, in soils ranging from clay to rich silts[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The seed can be sown in late winter in a cold frame[8] but would probably benefit from an earlier sowing if the seed can be obtained any sooner. Three months stratification at 5°c improves germination[4]. Germination rates are variable[8]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Layering.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although this is a plant of swamps and other wet soils in the wild, once established it can succeed in Britain when growing in an ordinary good loamy soil in sun or semi-shade[1]. This plant probably requires a very wet soil, it is very difficult to establish in Britain, though it should be hardy at least in the milder parts of the country. It prefers a neutral to alkaline soil[4]. Plants are fast-growing in well-drained bottomlands in the wild, but slower in swampy sites[5]. They are long-lived trees, commencing to bear seeds when about 30 years old and usually producing heavy crops each year[5]. The seed is mainly distributed by water[5]. Resents root disturbance[1]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  6. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  8. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  9. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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