FNPS Plant Database

Nyssa biflora

swamp black gum, swamp tupelo
  • Photo by: Sue Dingwell
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: NULL

Nomenclature

Common Name:

swamp black gum, swamp tupelo

Synonym(s):

Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora

Genus species:

Nyssa biflora

Family:

Nyssaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

60-80 ft tall by 40 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in fall.

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Grows naturally in swamps and best planted in moist areas. For moist settings, it is appropriate both as a shade tree and as a fall-color specimen tree in those parts of the state that get good fall cooling.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

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, Organic

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

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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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Pollinated by bees.

Fruite eaten by birds and small to medium sized animals.

Native Habitats:

Dome swamps, strand swamps. Tolerates extended periods of inundation.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Its more upland relative, Nyssa sylvatica, grows well in sandy uplands and is highly similar in appearance. Somewhat slow growing.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Coladonato, Milo (1992). Nyssa sylvatica, N. biflora. In: Fire Effects Information System. ( https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/nysspp/all.html ). Accessed 2026. Fire Sciences Laboratory, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Department 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.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


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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