Water Tupelo Tree Seeds | Cotton Gum | (Nyssa aquatica)

The swamp giant. The tree that stands where nothing else will.

Nyssa aquatica, the Water Tupelo, is the most flood-tolerant large native tree in North America, growing with its base submerged in standing water in the cypress-gum swamps of the southeastern coastal plain where no other canopy tree of comparable size can survive. It develops a dramatically swollen, buttressed base that anchors it in the unstable, anaerobic muck of permanent swamps, and it rises from this base into a straight, clean trunk that carries a relatively narrow crown above the water line. In fall the leaves turn brilliant scarlet and orange before dropping, creating a color display that reflects off the black swamp water beneath in one of the most visually dramatic scenes available in the southeastern forest. The small, dark blue fruits it produces are consumed by wood ducks, bears, raccoons, and dozens of bird species. If you are looking to buy Water Tupelo seeds or grow this swamp native from seed, this is the tree for the permanently wet site where nothing else establishes.

• The most flood-tolerant large native tree in North America, growing in permanently submerged conditions
• Dramatically swollen, buttressed trunk base anchoring the tree in unstable swamp muck
• Brilliant scarlet and orange fall color reflecting off swamp water, one of the most dramatic fall displays in the Southeast
• Critical wildlife tree, fruit eaten by wood ducks, bears, raccoons, and numerous bird species
• Produces the nectar for tupelo honey, one of the most prized specialty honeys in the American South

Things you probably did not know about the Water Tupelo

The buttressed base develops specifically in response to flooding. Water Tupelo trees grown on dry land develop normal, unbuttressed trunks similar to other hardwoods. The dramatic swollen base that defines the species in its swamp habitat develops as a response to permanent flooding, producing wider, denser wood tissue at the base that provides both physical stability in soft substrate and possibly improved gas exchange in anaerobic soil conditions. The same genetics produce completely different trunk forms depending on whether the tree grows in water or on land.

Tupelo honey made from Water Tupelo nectar commands the highest prices of any American honey. The tupelo honey of the Apalachicola River basin in the Florida panhandle, made primarily from Water Tupelo and Ogeechee Tupelo nectar, is considered the finest American honey by many connoisseurs and commands prices three to five times higher than standard commercial honey. The unique fructose-to-glucose ratio of tupelo honey causes it to resist crystallization almost indefinitely, a characteristic that is physically unique among American honeys and adds to its premium value.

The wood floats even when green because of its low density. Water Tupelo wood has an exceptionally low density for a hardwood, comparable to balsa in its ratio of strength to weight. This low density in a large tree was exploited historically for dugout canoe construction, as the wood was easier to hollow and light enough to be handled more easily than denser hardwoods. Indigenous peoples of the southeastern swamp regions used Water Tupelo extensively for canoe and boat construction.

Standing dead Water Tupelos become the most important nest trees in swamp ecosystems. When Water Tupelo trees die and the soft wood begins to decay in the permanently moist swamp environment, they develop cavities rapidly that become critical nesting sites for wood ducks, owls, and other cavity-dependent species. A standing dead tupelo snag in a southeastern swamp is ecologically equivalent to decades of other cavity-tree recruitment and is one of the most valuable single structures in that ecosystem.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Nyssa aquatica
• Stratification: Required, 90 days cold moist stratification
• USDA Zones: 5 to 9
• Soil: Tolerates permanent flooding, saturated soils, and standing water, also grows in ordinary well-drained conditions
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Height: 50 to 100 feet
• Spread: 25 to 50 feet
• Growth Rate: Moderate, 1 to 2 feet per year

Plant it in standing water if you have it or in the wettest spot on your property. It will establish where everything else has already failed and provide canopy, wildlife value, and fall color for the next two centuries.