FNPS Plant Database

Nyssa ogeche

Ogeechee tupelo, Ogeechee-lime

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Ogeechee tupelo, Ogeechee-lime

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Nyssa ogeche

Family:

Nyssaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

30-40 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

red,purple

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in early spring. Fruits ripen by fall.

Noted For:

Showy Fruits, Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree. Screen along wetland edges. Street tree for use in parking lots and median strips. Many acres have been planted to attract bees for honey production.

Considerations:

Fallen fruits can be mildly messy.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

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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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds

Pollinated by bees.  

Seeds eaten by birds.

Native Habitats:

Stream banks, swamps, pond and lake margins.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Said to be a good honey tree.  The juice of the fruits is said to make a substitute for limes. (both Haihle and Brookwell 1999).

General Comments:

Citations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyssa_ogeche

Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [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 ). 



Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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