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Dwarf Tupelo

Nyssa ursina

Also called bear tupelo, Apalachicola tupelo, bog tupelo, dwarf blackgum, Nyssa biflora var. ursina, Nyssa sylvatica var. ursina.

A rare, shrubby tupelo found only in the Florida panhandle, with small leathery leaves, round black fruit and stems that sprout back after fire.

RareTolerates wet soil

Type: Shrub
Mature height: 3–16 ft
USDA zones: 6–10
Growth rate: Medium
Sun: Full, Part
Soil moisture: Average, Wet
Grows wild in: Swamps and wet flats
Native range: Florida See what is native in your state

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Dwarf tupelo is a rare shrub of the tupelo family, found only in the Florida panhandle around the Apalachicola River. It grows in wet prairies, wet flatwoods, pond margins and bogs, usually among wiregrass. Some botanists treat it as a shrubby form of our swamp tupelo, which grows beside it throughout its range. NatureServe ranks it globally vulnerable. Give it a sunny, wet spot, such as the edge of a pond, where the soil stays damp.

Size, growth and what to expect

No source rates its growth, so our growth estimator treats it as a medium grower, like our swamp tupelo, about a foot and a half a year. It makes an intricately branched shrub of 3 to 10 feet, rarely a small tree to 16 feet, with long, flexible stems from the base. Its leathery leaves are 1.2 to 2.8 inches long, much shorter than swamp tupelo's.

Small, greenish white flowers open in spring on long stalks among the leaves, with male and female flowers borne separately. The fruit is a round drupe under half an inch across, usually black with a pale bloom.

It is known from Bay, Franklin, Gulf, Liberty and Wakulla counties. Its stems sprout back readily after fire, and where fire is kept out too long, the tree canopy shades it out.

How to grow Dwarf Tupelo

Dwarf tupelo wants full sun or light shade, since heavy shade from the tree canopy threatens wild stands. It grows in soil that stays wet or damp, like the wet prairies and flatwoods where it grows wild. Set plants 6 feet apart and keep them 6 feet from a wall. At its size it can go within 15 feet of overhead wires.

Saplings ship potted. Plant them in the dormant season, in a hole wider than the pot and no deeper. Set the crown at the soil line, put the native soil back in, and keep the mulch clear of the stems. Sow it as swamp tupelo is sown. Clean the pulp off the seed and hold it damp in the refrigerator for 30 to 120 days. Sow it in spring, half an inch deep, and keep the bed moist but not flooded. Untreated seed can also go into an outdoor bed in fall.

Water weekly through the first summer unless the ground stays wet. It needs no pruning.

Tupelo flowers are male, female or both, and sources disagree on whether one plant bears both kinds. Plant several seedlings if you want fruit.

Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them.

Sources (7)

Plan the planting