Water Tupelo

Nyssa aquatica

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in river swamps, less typically in isolated upland ponds, where inundated for substantial periods of time. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

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Height: 60–100 feet
Spread: 25 feet 1 inch–50 feet 2 inches
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Moist to standing water

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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Nyssa aquatica — fruit photograph — Nathan Howell; Howell, Krings and Braham (2016) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: April to May
Fruiting season: September to October

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Recorded in 27 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874), a neighboring state.The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record. scaled to 1280 x 923 by the Wikimedia thumbnailer from 4096 x 2953; no crop or other change

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 67 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (78)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

72CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Nyssa

Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
Acronicta afflictaAfflicted Dagger
Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
Acronicta ovataOvate Dagger, Epauleted Oak Dagger
Actias lunaLuna Moth
Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
Allotria elonymphaFalse Underwing
Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth

Show all 72

Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
Antispila nysaefoliellaTupelo Leafminer Moth
Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
Cenopis directanaChokecherry Leafroller Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
Eupithecia jejunataSwift Pug
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
Glenoides texanariaTexas Gray
Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hydriomena transfigurataTransfigured Hydriomena
Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
Hypena bijugalisDimorphic Bomolocha, Dimorphic Snout
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
Isa textulaCrowned Slug
Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
Natada nasoniNason's Slug Moth
Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
Olethreutes fasciatanaBanded Olethreutes
Oneida lunulalisOrange-Tufted Oneida
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
Packardia geminataJeweled Tail Slug Moth
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Papilio cresphontesEastern Giant Swallowtail
Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
Plagodis alcoolariaHollow-Spotted Plagodis
Polygrammate cadburyiCadbury's Lichen Moth, Cadbury's Mystique
Polygrammate hebraeicumThe Hebrew
Probole alienariaDogwood Probole, Alien Probole
Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
Sereda tautanaSpeckled Sereda
Synanthedon rubrofasciaBlack Gun Borer
Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
Tortricidia testaceaEarly Button Slug
Chionodes pereyra
Eupithecia swettii
Xenolechia ontariensis

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Nyssa

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

9BirdsRecorded eating Nyssa in Arkansas

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.

Wild TurkeySeeds. 7 diet records
European Starling3 diet records
American RobinFruit. 2 diet records
Eastern BluebirdFruit. 1 diet record
Gadwall1 diet record
Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Ruffed GrouseFruit. 1 diet record
VeeryFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Wood ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Nyssa 9

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Seeds. 7 diet records
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
3 diet records
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Fruit. 2 diet records
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Fruit. 1 diet record
Gadwall
Anas strepera
1 diet record
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Fruit. 1 diet record
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Nyssaceae
Hardiness: Zones 6a–9b
Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
Flower color: Green or white
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Single stem
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: September
Fruit ends: October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 6a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “60–100 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “25 feet 1 inch–50 feet 2 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Tupelo Gum

Conservation status

Arkansas rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
AR status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Water Tupelo

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Birds that eat Nyssa 9

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Nyssa