Tree Description:
A large forest tree reaching a height of over 100 feet and a trunk that exceeds 3 feet in diameter, with a straight trunk and many horizontal branches of a similar size that form a narrow, oval crown.
Range/Site Description:
Occurs in East Texas, usually in moist, well-drained soils, but also on dry slopes with a variety of oaks.
Leaf:
Simple, alternate, 2" to 6" long and 1" to 3" wide, oval to elliptical or even oblong, leaf edge without teeth; leaves are shiny, dark green on top, turning brilliant red, orange, and purple in the fall.
Flower:
Male and female flowers borne on separate trees or the same tree as long, slender clusters when the leaves are about one-third grown; the male in many-flowered heads, and the female in two or several-flowered clusters.
Fruit:
A dark blue drupe, 0.5" long, oval, containing a single hard-shelled stone, borne 2 to 3 in a cluster on a stalk 1" to 2.5" long.
Bark:
Smooth and gray on younger trees, developing furrows and flat ridges as the tree ages, with older bark light gray and broken into thick, distinctly squarish blocks.
Wood:
Very tough, cross-grained, not durable in contact with the soil, hard to work, and warps easily; used for crossties, basket veneer, box boards, and paper pulp.
Similar Species:
Both water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) and swamp tupelo (N. biflora) occur in areas of standing water in East Texas and have buttressed trunks. Two-wing silverbell (Halesia diptera) is an understory tree with showy white flowers in spring.
Interesting Facts:
In the old days, the hollow trunks were cut in sections and used to make bee hives; the flowers produce an excellent "tupelo honey."
