Swamp tupelo (N. s. var. biflora [Walt.] Sarg.), found mainly on the Coastal Plain, has narrowly [obovate] to narrowly oblanceolate leaves and fruiting peduncles ⅜ to 1⅜ inches long. The base of the trunk is swollen when submerged.
WATER TUPELO (Cotton-Gum or Tupelo-Gum)
Nyssa aquatica L.
Water tupelo is found only in deep river swamps or coastal swamps which are often flooded. The commonly enlarged base, large-sized [fruit], hanging on a long [peduncle] (stem), and the brittleness of the twigs, serve to distinguish this species from the black gum. It forms a tall, often slowly tapering somewhat crooked trunk 50 to 75 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The spreading small branches form a narrow, [oblong] or [pyramidal] head. The branches are generally smooth and light brown in color. The [BARK] of the trunk is thin, dark brown and furrowed up and down the trunk.
WATER TUPELO (Leaf and [fruit], one-third natural size; twig, two-thirds natural size)
The LEAVES are [simple], [ovate] or [oblong] in shape, [acute] and often long-pointed. When mature they are thick, dark green and lustrous on the upper side, pale and somewhat [downy] on the lower side, 5 to 7 inches long and 2 to 4 inches wide, wedge-shaped at the base, and entire or irregularly toothed on the margin. The [petiole] is stout, 1 to 2 inches long, grooved, and enlarged at the base.
The FLOWERS, which appear in March or April are of two kinds, usually borne on separate trees, the male flowers in dense round clusters, and the female flowers solitary.
The [FRUIT], ripening in early fall, is a dark purple [drupe], [oblong] or [obovate] in shape, about 1 inch long, with a thick, tough skin enclosing a flattened stone, and borne on a slender [peduncle] 3 to 4 inches long.
The WOOD is light, soft, and not strong. It is used for woodenware, broom handles, [fruit] and vegetable baskets, marketed as tupelo or bay poplar lumber, and paper pulp.