Handbook of Teees of the ISToetheen States and Canada. 367 



This interesting semi-aquatic tree is the 

 statliest and most useful of the American 

 Tupelos, sometimes attaining the height of 100 

 ft., with straight columnar trunk 3 or 4 ft. in 

 diameter above its wide base. This may be 

 6 or 8 ft. across at the surface of the ground, 

 and is usually hollow. The wide base is 

 nature's provision to give the tree stability in 

 the loose miry soil in which it grows. It in- 

 habits deep swamps and the margins of streams 

 and ponds, where its base is covered with water 

 during a considerable portion of the year. 

 Here its associates are mainly the Bald 

 Cypress, \Vater Gum, Planer-tree, Water and 

 Pumpkin Ashes, River Birch, Water Hickory, 

 etc. Among these it is a tree of striking ap- 

 pearance, with its large lustrous green leaves 

 and clusters of long-stemmed fruit, which sug- 

 gest so many small dates in appearance, but 

 the extreme opposite of thenr in flavor. 



Its wood is rather light, a cubic foot weigh- 

 ing 32.37 lbs., soft, very close-grained and more 

 easily worked than that of the other Tupelos. 

 It is used in the manufacture of wooden-ware, 

 boxes, fruit-crates, etc. 2 



Leaves ovate-oblong to oval, mostly rounded or 

 subcordate at base, long-acuminate, irregularly 

 angular-dentate or entire, tomentose at first but 

 finally glabrous dark green above, pale and downy 

 pubescent beneath, 5-10 in. long; petioles li/4-2% 

 in. long. Floiccrs. appear in iMarch and April, 

 with long slender peduncles from the axils of bud- 

 scales below the new leaves ; the staminate in 

 dense capitate clusters, the pistillate solitary ; 

 style revolute into a coil. Fruit, on slender droop- 

 ing stems, 2-4 in. long, obovoid. tipped with the 

 remnants of the style, about 1 in. long, dark 

 purple with pale dots, tough skin and narrow 

 obovoid stone, compressed and with about 10 

 sharp wing-like longitudinal ridges. 



1. Nyssa uniflora Wang. 



2. A. W., XII, 282. 



