Handbook of Trees of the JToethern States and Canada. 305 



The \^'ater Gum attains the height of from 

 50 to 75 ft., with trunlv usually tapering from 

 an enlarged base. It develops a rather narrow 

 top of many small spreading branches, and, as 

 its name implies, it is confined in its distribu- 

 tion to the immediate vicinity of the water. 

 It occupies deep swamps and the margins of 

 ponds and streams in company with the Cotton 

 Gum, Cypress, Water, Laurel and Over-cup 

 Oaks, Titi, Planer-tree, Forestiera, etc. In 

 autumn it is a conspicuous object on account 

 of the purple and red tints assumed by its 

 foliage. 



Its wood is fine-grained, light, tough and 

 difficult to split and work on account of its 

 contorted and twisted fiber. It is applicable to 

 the same vises as the wood of the Sour Gum. 



A forcible anecdote was once told the author 



to illustrate the crookedness of the grain -of 



this wood. It was to the eflfect that " An 



Irishman was up a gum-tree one day when it 



was struck by lightning, and he had time to 



climb down before the lightning reached the 



ground, because it had to follow the grain." 



The truth of the story was not vouched for. 



Leaves oblanceolate to obovate and oblong, 

 cuneate at base, obtuse or acute (occasionally 

 acuminate) at apex, entire, tomentose at first but 

 finally lustrous dark green above, paler beneatb : 

 petioles stout. Floirrrs (when leaves are nearly 

 grown) on slender hairy peduncles, l-lMi in. long: 

 the pistillate flowers usually in pairs. Fniit in 

 pairs or occasionally solitary, VrM: in. long, dark 

 blue with juicy acid flesh and distinctly flattened 

 and ribbed stone. 



1. Syn. Nyssa aquatica L. (In part). 



