Nyssa aquatica
L.
Water Tupelo
(c) Christopher David Benda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Christopher David Benda
(c) J. Richard Abbott, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by J. Richard Abbott
(c) kerohling, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - occasionally eaten raw but more often used in preserves. The fruit is up to 4cm long, it has a thick, tough skin with a thin acid flesh surrounding a large seed.
Where to Find It
South-eastern N. America - Virginia to Florida, west to Illinois and Texas.
NORTHERN AMERICA: United States (Missouri (southeast), Illinois (south), Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky (southwest), Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina (east), South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia (southeast), Texas).
How to Identify
Nyssa aquatica is a deciduous Tree growing to 30 m (98ft 5in) at a medium rate. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil and can grow in water.
How to Grow
This plant probably requires a very wet soil, it is very difficult to establish in Britain, though it should be hardy at least in the milder parts of the country. It prefers a neutral to alkaline soil. Plants are fast-growing in well-drained bottomlands in the wild, but slower in swampy sites. They are long-lived trees, commencing to bear seeds when about 30 years old and usually producing heavy crops each year. The seed is mainly distributed by water. Resents root disturbance. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Propagation: The seed can be sown in late winter in a cold frame but would probably benefit from an earlier sowing if the seed can be obtained any sooner. Three months stratification at 5°c improves germination. Germination rates are variable. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Layering.
Other Uses
Cork Dye Wood. The wood of the roots is sometimes used for making floats instead of cork. A red dye can be obtained from the burnt bark mixed with water and the ash of red oak (Quercus rubra). Wood - light, close-grained, soft, difficult to split. Tough according to one report, weak according to another. It has an intricately contorted and twisted grain. It weighs 29lb per cubic foot, and is used for various things such as panelling, broom handles, woodenware and crates. It is sometimes exploited commercially.
