282 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA 



Nyssa uniflora, Wang. fA'. aquatica L., in part.) Tuprlo Gum. 

 (Fig. 65, Map 22) 



A large tree, with rather Hght wood, especially in the roots. 

 The trunk is often much enlarged at the hase, like the cypresses. 

 The leaves and berries are much larger than those of the other 

 two species, and it can be distinguished from them in winter by 

 its coarser twigs. The wood of the trunk has an interlaced grain 

 and is difficult to season without warping, and for those reasons 

 was until recent years considered worthless for lumber, and was 

 used only in the form of logs for ])umps and porch columns, thick 

 pieces for bowls (often carved out of living trees), veneers for 

 crates and packing boxes, and thin strips for baskets. So great 

 was the prejudice against it when it was first put on the lumber 

 market that it was called by fictitious names, such as "bay poplar" 

 and "Circassian walnut." But the growing scarcity of other woods 

 has driven lumbermen to use this more and more, and when prop- 

 erly seasoned it is much like yellow poplar (Liriodcudrou) , and is 

 adapted to many of the same purposes, such as furniture and inte- 

 rior finish. It is said to be excellent also for mill tramways and 

 the floors of warehouses and freight platforms, because it does not 

 splinter. 



The chief use of the wood, however, is veneers used in boxes 

 and crates, for which it is unsurpassed. Smaller quantities go into 

 cigar boxes and musical instruments. The wood of the roots, on 

 account of its lightness, has been used for floats of nets, and has a 

 limited use in surgery. The flowers are an important source of 

 honey. 



References : Holroyd. 



This species grows in swamps and sloughs, generally where 

 the water varies in depth at different seasons from about one to 

 six feet,* but in Madison County its usual habitat seems to be 

 calcareous spring-fed swamps, which probal)ly do not fluctuate 

 much. It commonly occurs in rather dense pure stands, with 

 hardly any undergrowth, though it may also be scattered along 

 the banks of creeks and rivers. 



*See Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 37:121. 1910. 



