Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Southern Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Nyssa sylvatica Marshall var. biflora (Walt.) Sarg.
- Family: Nyssa (Nyssaceae)
- Flowering: April-June
- Field Marks: The plant differs from the similar black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) by its thicker, stiffer,
- Habitat: Bogs, pocosins, wet woods, swamps, flatwoods, savannas, shallow coastal ponds and
lakes; brackish swamps and sloughs.
- Habit: Tree to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 feet, often swollen at the base; crown
- Bark: Brown to black.
- Twigs: Red-brown to gray, smooth.
- Leaves: Alternate, simple, oblanceolate, rounded at the tip, tapering to the base, without teeth,
smooth or with some hairs on the lower surface, up to 5 inches long, up to 2 inches wide.
- Flowers: Male and female borne on separate trees, appearing after the leaves begin to unfold;
the male in spherical clusters, the female 1-few on long stalks arising from the leaf axils.
- Sepals: 5, tiny, green, united below.
- Petals: Usually none.
- Stamens: 5-15.
- Pistils: Ovary inferior.
- Fruits: Drupes ellipsoid, dark blue or black, up to 2/3 inch long, 1-seeded.
- Notes: This tree is sometimes considered to be a distinct species. It frequently grows in standing
water. Leaves of seedling plants may have an occasional tooth.
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