Nyssa aquatica

Nyssa aquatica
Nyssa aquatica
A stand of Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae (Nyssaceae)
Genus: Nyssa
Species: N. aquatica
Binomial name
Nyssa aquatica
L.
Natural range.

Nyssa aquatica, commonly called the water tupelo,[1] cottongum,[2] wild olive,[2] large tupelo,[2] sourgum,[citation needed] tupelo-gum,[1] or water-gum,[1] is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus (Nyssa) that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United States.[3]

Nyssa aquatica trunks have a swollen base that tapers up to a long, clear bole, and its root system is periodically under water.[3] Water tupelo trees often occurs in pure stands.

Nyssa aquatica foliage.

Contents

Names

Nyssa aquatica's genus name (Nyssa) refers to a Greek water nymph;[4] the species epithet aquatica, meaning ‘aquatic’, refers to its swamp and wetland habitat.

One of the species' common names, tupelo, is of Native American origin, coming from the Creek words ito ‘tree’ and opilwa ‘swamp’; it was in use by the mid-18th century[5]

Swollen trunk base, in swamp habitat.

Uses

A large mature tree can produce commercial timber used for furniture and crates. The swollen base of the Nyssa aquatica is the source of a favored wood of wood carvers.

Many kinds of wildlife eat the fruit, and it is a favored honey tree. [3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "ARS Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) - species account Nyssa aquatica". http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?25450. 
  2. ^ a b c Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 9780025054707. 
  3. ^ a b c U.S. Forest Service silvics manual - Nyssa aquatica treatment
  4. ^ Werthner, William B. (1935). Some American Trees: An intimate study of native Ohio trees. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. xviii + 398 pp.. 
  5. ^ New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition. 

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nyssa aquatica — Nyssa aquatĭca L., Pflanzenart, s. Tupelo …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Nyssa aquatica — vandeninė nisa statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Nisinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, medieninis, pluoštinis, medingas augalas (Nyssa aquatica), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Nyssa aquatica angl. swamp tupelo; tupelo gum; water… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Nyssa aquatica — Water tupelo Wa ter tu pe*lo (Bot.) A species of large tupelo ({Nyssa aquatica}) growing in swamps in the southern of the United States. See {Ogeechee lime}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Nyssa aquatica — ID 56667 Symbol Key NYAQ2 Common Name water tupelo Family Cornaceae Category Dicot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Native to U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA Growth Habit Tree …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Nyssa aquatica L. — Symbol NYAQ2 Common Name water tupelo Botanical Family Cornaceae …   Scientific plant list

  • Nyssa aquatica — noun columnar swamp tree of southeastern to midwestern North America yielding pale soft easily worked wood • Syn: ↑water gum • Hypernyms: ↑tupelo, ↑tupelo tree …   Useful english dictionary

  • Nyssa (Gattung) — Tupelobäume Nyssa sylvatica im Herbst Systematik Abteilung: Bedecktsamer (Magnoliophyta) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Nyssa —   Nyssa …   Wikipedia Español

  • Nyssa sylvatica — Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica foliage and young fruit Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Nyssa [2] — Nyssa (N. L.), Tupelobäume, Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Santalaceae Nyssaceae, 23. Kl. 2. Ordn. L.; Arten: nordamerikanische Bäume, auch in Europa an geschützten Standorten fortkommend: N. aquatica, in Carolina an Gewässern, mit… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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