Flowers may be polygamous or dioecious, but they are usually of two kinds. They, too, are borne on long stems, two to three in a cluster, and mature in October. The wood is very tough, cross-grained, and not durable in contact with the soil. The wood is hard to work and warps easily. It is used for crate and basket veneers, rollers, mallets, rough floors, mine trams, pulpwood, and fuel.
Tupelo honey is prized in the southern United States.
Black tupelo is one of our most brilliantly colored trees in the fall. Often the coloring starts in late summer and continues until mid-autumn when the trees seem ablaze with brilliant red foliage. For this reason, it can be considered an excellent native tree to plant for both color and ornamental effect. The nursery industry has recently begun to offer this plant in containers, as this plant is difficult to otherwise transplant. This tree requires an acid soil and is not a good landscape subject in the alkaline soils of the till-plains region.