110 THE FOREST TREE CULTURIST. 
them the first winter, if no longer, and it is more conve- 
nient to do this while in the seed-bed than after being 
planted in the nursery. 
Nyssa. (Zupelo.) 
The Nyssas are trees of peculiar growth, the branches 
growing almost at right angles from the main stem, the 
upper ones often reaching as far outward as the lower, 
giving the tree a flattened appearance, as though it had 
met some obstruction which had prevented it from grow- 
ing any higher. The grain of the wood runs in all direc- 
tions, forming an intricate indivisible mass. This peculiar- 
ity of structure is its only value, as it is naturally soft and 
spongy. There are but two native species, although some ~ 
botanists have divided the genus into several. 
Nyssa MULTIFLORA (Tupelo, Pepperidge, Sour-gum).— 
Leaves oval, slightly pointed, pubescent when young, deep 
ereen, becoming dark brown or bright crimson in autumn; 
flowers in clusters, small, inconspicuous; fruit oval, bluish 
black, about one half inch long, ripe in autumn, should be 
sown soon after being gathered; tree medium to large; 
wood yellowish white, much used for wagon hubs, rollers, 
etc.; common in low, wet soils in all the Middle and 
Southern States; a slow grower, and hardly worthy of 
cultivation, except as an ornamental tree. 
Nyssa unrrLora (Large Tupelo).—Leaves oblong, some- 
times slightly heart-shaped at the base, downy when 
young; fertile flowers, solitary; fruit nearly an inch in 
length; a large tree with soft, spongy wood; common at 
the South, in low, wet soils. 
