Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Cornales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nyssa biflora
FAMILY
Nyssaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Swamp Tupelo at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nyssa biflora
FAMILY
Cornaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Nyssa biflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 141-01-001b:
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora FAMILY Nyssaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nyssa biflora
COMMON NAME:
Swamp Tupelo, Swamp Blackgum, Swamp Gum, Water Gum
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_814
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_nybi_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm160416_246
April Lowndes County GA
Leaf scars of Nyssa species native to the Southeast have 3 bundle scars, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm160416_281
April Lowndes County GA
Bark is longitudinally furrowed but not blocky like that of N. sylvatica, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm080505_032
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
Lvs thick textured, rather stiff, typically widest beyond middle, 5-14cm long, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm080505_085
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
)
JK Marlow jkm080505_092
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
Pistillate flowers and fruits usually 2 (sometimes 1 or 3) per peduncle, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm080505_093
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
)
JK Marlow jkm080505_093b
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
)
JK Marlow jkm210706_1907
July Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
Will Stuart wil_8495394007_91a6940bfc
September Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Fruit similar in size and shape to that of Blackgum, leaves smaller, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Will Stuart wil_8495394653_a7827f31b1
September Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Swamp tupelo common along the edge of many pools in the Carolina Sandhills. — Will Stuart
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nyssa biflora
FAMILY
Nyssaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nyssa biflora
FAMILY
Cornaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Nyssa biflora
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 141-01-001b:
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora
FAMILY
Nyssaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nyssa biflora
978
Tree
Perennial
Dioecious or polygamo-dioecious
Habitat: blackwater river swamps, depressions in pinelands, pocosins, either where inundated for substantial periods of time or in more-or-less permanently saturated organic peaty soils, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
5 sepals
5-10 petals or petals absent
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Blue
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p047
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p322
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p408
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p380
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p160
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p117
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p256
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p220
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".