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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

73
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). 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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At a glance

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

Recorded in 40 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

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 Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 165 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

64CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Nyssa

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta afflictaAfflicted Dagger
  • Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
  • Allotria elonymphaFalse Underwing
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
Show all 64
  • 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
  • Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • 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
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Sereda tautanaSpeckled Sereda
  • Synanthedon rubrofasciaBlack Gun Borer
  • Chionodes pereyra
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
10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Nyssa

  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
  • Mareca streperaGadwall
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. 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

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
Also known as

Tupelo Gum

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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