Water Tupelo
Nyssa aquatica
Swamp giant with a swollen, buttressed base that stands in standing water. Its spring bloom yields the famously delicate tupelo honey. The tart fruit is occasionally eaten raw but more often made into preserves.
- Family
- Nyssaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 50–80 ft
- Spacing
- 25–50 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist, wet
- Soil pH
- acidic
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- green
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, mammals, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~26 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen, rain garden
- Native states
- AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA