Tupelo Gum 



739 



drooping, forming trees of variable outline; the bark is 2 to 4 cm. thick, deeply 

 furrowed into longitudinal scaly ridges of a brown color. The twigs are slender, 

 sometimes quite hairy, greenish yellow, 

 soon becoming smooth and red-brown; 

 the winter buds are 6 mm. long, blunt- 

 pointed; the leaves are oval or obovate, 

 rarely oblanceolate, 5 to 15 cm. long, 

 blunt, sharp or taper-pointed, more or 

 less rounded at thebase, entire or irregu- 

 larly wavy on the margin, hairy when 

 unfolding, but becoming smooth and 

 sh inin g; the leaf-stalk is i to 2.5 cm. 

 long. The flowers, appearing from April 

 to June, are on slender, hairy peduncles 

 12 to 25 mm. long, the staminate in 

 many-flowered clusters, the pistillate usu- 

 ally in clusters of 3 ; the calyx-lobes are 

 small, ovate; the petals are thick, ovate 

 and blunt. The fruit, usually in clusters of 3, ripening in September or October, 

 is ovoid, about 1.5 cm. long, dark blue; its thin pink flesh is acrid and bitter; the 

 stone is narrowly ovoid, sharp pointed at the top, its walls hard, with 10 to 12 

 indistinct ribs. 



The wood is soft, very tough, yellowish white; its specific gravity is about 0.63. 

 It is hard to split, but not durable unless kept dry. It is used for rollers, wheel- 

 hubs, ox-yokes, and other special purposes where a light, non-splitting wood is 

 required, and is much esteemed for docks and wharves. 



Its characteristic branching, glossy green leaves, with their gorgeous crimson 

 autumnal coloration, and the abundant blue fruit, make this tree a handsome 

 object for lawn or park; it requires moist soil for its perfect development. 



Fig. 676. — Sour Gum. 



3. TUPELO GUM — Nyssa aquatica Linnseus 

 Nyssa uniflora Wangenheim 



A water-loving tree, also called Cotton gum, Swamp tupelo. Large tupelo, and 

 OUve tree. It is found in cypress and other swamps from Virginia to Missouri 

 and southward to Florida and Texas, attaining a maximum height of 35 meters, 

 with a trunk diameter up to 1.5 m. above the much enlarged base. 



The branches are rather short and spreading or ascending. The bark is 6 to 

 10 mm. thick, ridged, and broken into small scales of a dark brown color. The 

 thick twigs are reddish and finely velvety when young, becoming smooth or nearly 

 so, round and brown. The terminal buds are nearly globular, the lateral ovoid. 

 The leaves are thick and firm, ovate to elliptic, i to 3 dm. long, sharp or taper- 

 pointed, wedge-shaped, rounded or slightly heart-shaped at the base, entire or 



