''Nyssa biflora'', commonly referred to as the swamp tupelo, or swamp black-gum is a species of

tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

that lives in

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

habitats. Swamp tupelo grows chiefly in the coastal plains from Delaware, eastern Maryland, and southeastern Virginia, south to southern Florida and west to eastern Texas. Its range extends north up the Mississippi Valley to southern Arkansas and west and south Tennessee. The swamp tupelo grows in humid warm climates. It not only tolerates flooding but actually thrives under those conditions. It is seldom found on sites that are not inundated much of the growing season. Swamp tupelo grows in headwater

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

s, ponds, river bottoms, bays,

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

, and low coves. Normally it does not grow in the deeper parts of swamps or overflow river bottoms. The type of water regime is more important to growth of swamp tupelo than the soil type. Best growth is achieved on sites where the soil is continuously saturated with very shallow moving water. Growth can be reduced as much as 50 percent when the water is stagnant, as in ponds. Intermittent flooding, with periodic drying cycles, or continuous deep flooding even by moving water, also reduces growth. Trees and shrubs commonly associated with swamp tupelo are

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nativ ...

(''Acer rubrum''), buttonbush (''Cephalanthus occidentalis''), buckwheat-tree (''Cliftonia monophylla''),

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...

(''Cornus'' spp.), swamp cyrilla (''Cyrilla racemiflora''), swamp-privet (''Forestiera acuminata''), Carolina ash (''Fraxinus caroliniana''), loblolly-bay (''Gordonia lasianthus''), dahoon (''Ilex cassine''), inkberry (''I. glabra''),

yaupon ''Ilex vomitoria'', commonly known as yaupon () or yaupon holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America. The word ''yaupon'' was derived from the Catawban ''yą́pą'', from ''yą-'' tree + ''pą'' leaf. Another commo ...

(''I. vomitoria''), fetterbush lyonia (''Lyonia lucida''), and

bayberry ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Aust ...

(''Myrica'' spp.). The swamp tupelo has minute greenish-white flowers that appear in the spring with the leaves, usually in late April. Insects, primarily bees, are the major pollinating vector, but pollen is also spread by wind. The fruit, a

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

, changes from green to a dark blue as it ripens, usually in early November. The seeds normally overwinter and germinate the following spring.

Germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...

does not take place under water, but submerged seeds germinate once the water subsides below the soil surface. Germination is rapid in moist, drained conditions at and higher. After germination, seedlings must grow rapidly to keep the

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

and leaves above water, because prolonged submergence during active growth will kill them. Submergence during the dormant season, however, has no adverse effect. Swamp tupelo normally develops a

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

and has a swollen base to the mean height of the growing season water level. Water

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...

s, which develop under flooded conditions, help support the tree and capture nutrients. These specialized roots tolerate high

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

concentrations, oxidize the

rhizosphere The rhizosphere is the narrow region of soil or substrate that is directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil microorganisms known as the root microbiome. Soil pores in the rhizosphere can contain many bacteria and other microor ...

, and carry on

anaerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration is respiration using electron acceptors other than molecular oxygen (O2). Although oxygen is not the final electron acceptor, the process still uses a respiratory electron transport chain. In aerobic organisms undergoing re ...

. Thus, they are the key to the species ability to thrive under flooded conditions.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7071274 biflora Plants described in 1788 Trees of the Eastern United States Trees of the Southeastern United States