Tag: Tupelo

The tupelo ( /ˈtuːpɨloʊ/), black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa (/ˈnɪsə/), is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is usually included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by some authorities in the family Nyssaceae.
Most Nyssa species are highly tolerant of wet soils and flooding, and some need such environments as habitat. Five of the species are native to eastern North America from southeastern Canada through the Eastern United States to southern Mexico. Other species are found in eastern and southeastern Asia from China south through Indochina to Malaysia and southwest to the Himalayas. A related genus, Davidia, including the dove tree (Davidia involucrata), is native to central China.
The genus name Nyssa refers to a Greek water nymph.
The name tupelo, one of the common names used for Nyssa, is of Native American origin, coming from the Creek words ito ‘tree’ and opilwa ‘swamp’; it was in…