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| ## swamp tupelo {#swamp-tupelo .Title-Header}                         |
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| *Nyssa biflora* Walt.                                                 |
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| Plant Symbol = NYBI                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![Color image of Swamp Tupelo (Nyssa
biflora)](media/image2.jpeg){width="3.0in" height="2.0in"}**Alternate
Names**

*Nyssa sylvatica* Marsh. var. *biflora* (Walt.) Sarg., blackgum, swamp
blackgum

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Wildlife*: Its foliage and twigs are widely browsed by white-tailed
deer. Fruits are highly nutritional and eaten by a variety of birds and
small mammals. Additionally, provides cavity and nesting sites for a
wide variety of birds and mammals. Its flowers are a source of nectar
for bees kept by commercial honey producers.

*Timber*: Used mainly for lumber, veneer, paper pulp, and to some extent
railroad ties. It is also used for flooring, rollers in glass factories,
blocks, gunstocks, and pistol grips.

*Recreation and Beautification*: Excellent ornamental plant for its
straight bole, shapely crown and attractive autumn foliage.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*Nyssa biflora* (Walt.), swamp tupelo, is limited to Coastal Plain
swamps and estuaries from Maryland and southeastern Virginia south to
southern Florida. It grows on the east side of the Mississippi River to
western and southern Tennessee. A moderately large tree, it can grow to
over 100 feet in height and 3 to 4 feet in diameter; it has a narrow,
oblong crown and spreading root system which commonly produces vigorous
sprouts. Bark is light brown, deeply furrowed with scaly longitudinal
ridges. Leaves are alternate, simple, dark green and shiny above, paler
and often hairy below.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Swamp tupelo grows well on a variety of wet bottomland soils including
organic mucks, heavy clays, and wet sands. Best growth is achieved on
sites where the soil is continuously saturated with very shallow moving
water such as banks of swamps, ponds, and estuaries of the Coastal
Plain, and in low coves and seepages which remain wet year-round.

Swamp tupelo is distributed throughout the Southeast. For a current
distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species
on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Stump sprouting is common following logging. It is classed as intolerant
to shade and will not develop unless released.

Swamp tupelo is a prolific seed producer. Seed viability averages 60
percent, increasing as the season progresses. Seeds are disseminated
primarily by gravity and birds, others generally fall to the ground and
remain dormant in the litter or are carried by water.

Seed overwinters on cool, damp soil and germinates the following spring.
It requires nearly full sunlight for optimum early growth. Seedlings
tolerate more competition but are much less adaptable than black tupelo.
Prechilled seeds must be sown in spring. Seeds are drilled at the rate
of 15 per foot of row and covered with ½ - 1 inch of soil. A mulch of
pine needles is recommended. Beds must be kept moist.

It sprouts from the stump following disturbance. Sprouts arise from
suppressed buds and are concentrated near the top of the stump. Stump
sprouts can produce seeds at 2 years of age.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Seedling establishment is best accomplished by shelterwood method.
Regeneration can also be accomplished by clear-cutting if prior to a
good seed fall or if advanced regeneration already exist. Due to the
high palatability of seedlings and sprouts, swamp tupelo must be
protected by controlling deer populations. It often competes with
loblolly and shortleaf pine for water and light, reducing its growth and
development. Basal tree injections with approved herbicides are
effective control methods for crown kill.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

The forest tent caterpillar (*Malacosoma disstria*) defoliates swamp
tupelo causing growth loss and mortality. Tupelo lesion caused by
*Fusarium solani* results in swelling and roughened bark. *Fomes spp*.,
*Polyporus spp*., *Daedalea ambigua*, *Hydnum erinaceum*, *Lentinus
tigrinus*, and *Pleurotus ostreatus* fungi cause heartrot. It is highly
susceptible to sapsucker and easily damaged by salt spray and
sulfate-enriched water.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

No cultivars are recommended at this time. Seeds are extracted from ripe
fruits picked from the ground, from standing or felled trees.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060802 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060802-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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