FNPS Plant Database

Nyssa aquatica

water tupelo
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

water tupelo

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Nyssa aquatica

Family:

Cornaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

80-100 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

purple

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wet garden. Rain garden. Shade tree for wet areas and along wetland edges. Leaves turn yellow in fall. Slow growing.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed. Sometimes grafted.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Visited by bees and valued by commercial bee keepers as a source of exceptionally sweet honey.  Also said to be wind pollinated.

Fruits eaten by birds and smal mammals.





 

Native Habitats:

Floodplain forests , swamps, usually in water.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Tupelo honey is famous for its unusual sweetness.

General Comments:

Citations:

Johnson, R. L. (Undated). Nyssa aquatica , Water Tupelo. ( https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/nyssa/aquatica.htm ). Accessed 2026. Southern Research Station, United States Dept. of Agriculture.


Burns, Russell M., and Barbara H. Honkala [Technical coordinators]. (1990). Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). Accessed 2026.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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