554 NEW ENGLAND TREES IN WINTER. 



TUPELO 



Pepperidge, Sour or Black Gum. 



Nyssa sylvatica Marsh. 



N. multiflora Wang. 



HABIT — A tree 20-50 ft. in height with trunk diameter of 1-2 ft. 



or in Itie forest GO-SO ft. high, reaching- greater dimensions further 

 snutli; g-enerally easily recognized from the manner of branching- alone, 

 though extremely variable in outline. The trunk is erect, generally 

 continuous well into the top, lower branches developed low down on 

 trunk, horizontal or declined often to the ground, upper branches 

 horizontal or sligluly ascending, with numerous lateral branches and 

 stubby branihlets forming horizontal layers. The branches are slender 

 and exceedingly numerous, more so than in any other of our trees. The 

 head mav be short, cylindrical and flat-topped, or low and broader than 

 tall, (see plate lower habit picture) or more commonly as when crowded 

 in the forest, narrow, pyramidal or conical (see plate upper habit 

 picture) or inversely conical and broad and flat at top. 



BARK — On \-nung tree, grayish, flaky, on older trunks darker with 

 deeper furrows and ridges bruken into somewhat regular hexagonal 

 blocks. 



TWIN'S — Slender, smooth or nearly so. graj'ish to light reddish-brown. 



prod u I ing numerous short slo\v gro-v\'-ing spurs cro^\'dcd ^vi! h leaf -scars 

 on (lie sides of more rapidly grown shoots. LENTICICLS — scattered, 

 in (Uispi-'uous. PITH — with thin transverse wood>' partitions through 

 the gruu nd-mass, best seen "with aid of a hand -lens. 



LF.Ar-SCAR.S — Alternate, generallv more than 2-ranked. distinct, 

 broadly l rescent-shaped. STTPULE-SCAKS — absent. BUNDLE-SCAKS — 

 con.^pi. uous. o. simple or slightly compound but in o distinct groups, 

 generally depressed, wiiitish in contrast to reddish-brown of leaf-scar. 



BVns — Ovate, dark reddish-brown, smooth or slightly downy at tip. 

 the lateral buds generallj' b lu iit-i^ointf d. di\'ergent, on \-igorous shoots 

 slightly raised on a cushion of the bark, sometimes on vigorous shoois 

 de\'eloping a suiierposed accessory bud larger than the axillary one; 

 terminal bud sligtitly larger than laterals, abiait 5 nim. long, generally 

 sharper pointed, with slightly curved apex. BUD-SCALES — :^-4 visible, 

 broadly ovate, rounded, terminally somewhat keeled and pointed. 



FRl IT — A small bluish drupe ripening in autumn. 



COJrPARISONS — Although the outline of the crown differs widely, 

 the n umernus slender horizontally layered branches generally render 

 the Tupelo distinguishable at a distance. Its 3 conspicuous bundle- 

 scars in connection with the woody partitions in the pith will prevent 

 its being confused with any other tree. 



DISTRiniTIOX — Tn rirh. moist soil, in swamps and on the borders 



of ri\'f rs and piuids. Ontario; south to Florida; west to Michigan, 

 Misscuri. and Texas. 



IX NEW EXGLAXD^Maine — WaterviUe on the Kennebec, the most 

 norihtrn station yet reported; Xew Hampshire — most common in the 

 Merrimac valley, seldom seen north of the WMiite Mountains; Vermont — 

 occasiunal; Massachusetts and Rhode Island — rather comniun. 



JX COXXECTICUT— Frequent. 



A\*Oan — Heavy, soft, strong, fine-grained, very tough, difhoult to split, 

 not durable, light yellow or nearly white, with thi^-k lighter colored 

 sapwond of SO-100 layers of annual growth; used for the hubs of wheels, 

 rollers in glass factories, ox-ytjkes, wharf piles and sometimes for the 

 soles of slo.'es. 



