Tupelo

Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica)

Description

A medium sized deciduous tree, such as Nyssa sylvatica and Nyssa aquatica, native to the eastern United States. Tupelo trees produce a stiff, tough wood that is hard to split. It is used for pallets, baskets, boxes, veneer, barrels and firewood. Tupelo bark dye has good washfastness and fair lightfastness.

Synonyms and Related Terms

black gum (Nyssa sylvatica); sour gum; pepperidge; beetlebung; water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica)

Other Properties

Medium sized tree growing to 25 m. Bark=grayish brown with shallow, irregular furrows. Leaf=simple alternate, pinnately veined oval (3-5 inches long) with coarse teeth, turning an intense red/purple color in fall.. Fruit = purple drupe (1 cm) ripening in late summer.

Density	35 ppcf

Authority

• R.J. Adrosko, R.J. Adrosko, Natural Dyes in the United States, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1968

• G.S.Brady, G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 380

• John and Margaret Cannon, John and Margaret Cannon, Dye Plants and Dyeing, Herbert Press, London, 1994

• External source or communication, External source or communication Comment: Hardwood Manufacturers Institute, Memphis, Tenn.: air-dry weight = 35 ppcf

• Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupelo (Accessed Dec. 9, 2005)

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976