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Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), is a medium-sized deciduous tree which grows around 20-25 m tall (rarely to 35 m) and a trunk diameter of 50-100 cm (rarely up to 170 cm). It is native to eastern North America, from New England and southern Ontario south to central Florida and eastern Texas.
The leaf of Black Tupelo is variable in size and shape. It can be oval, elliptical or obovate, and 5-12 cm long. It is lustrous, with entire, often wavy margins. The leaf turns scarlet in autumn, eventually becoming green. The flower is very small, greenish-white in clusters at the top of a long stalk. The fruit is a black-blue, ovoid stone fruit, about 10 mm long with a thin, oily, bitter-to-sour flesh. There are from one to three such fruit together on a long slender stalk. The bark is dark grey and flaky when young, but it becomes furrowed with age, resembling alligator hide on very old stems. The twigs of this tree are reddish_brown, usually hidden by a greyish skin. The pith is chambered with greenish partitions. The branches typically stand at right angles to the trunk.
The Black Tupelo grows best in swamps or lowlands that have poor drainage. The limbs deteriorate early and the decayed holes make excellent dens for squirrels, raccoons, and opossums. The wood is hard, cross-grained, and difficult to split, especially after drying. It is used for pallets, rough floors, pulpwood and firewood.
The species is often known as simply Tupelo, but the full name Black Tupelo helps distinguish it from the other species of tupelo, some of which (e.g. Water tupelo N. aquatica and Swamp tupelo N. biflora) occur in the same area. The name Tupelo is of Native American origin. Other names include Blackgum, Pepperidge, and Sourgum. The scientific name means "nymph of the woods" in Greek.
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