Bedford Street/Meriam Street, Nyssa sylvatica, Tupelo

Nyssa sylvatica

The oldest known hardwood tree in North America is a tupelo tree estimated at >710 years old. In 1312, this tupelo sprouted in a hummocky swamp in southern New Hampshire.

Tupelo trees are long lived. With a wide lateral root system and a deep taproot, the trees stand tall even in a gale. The trees are pyramidal in youth and picturesque with age. Horizontal branches become pendulous with the years. The lustrous deep green foliage becomes a kaleidoscope of color in autumn from florescent yellow, to orange, to scarlet, to shades of purple. Tupelo has blue-black drupes in the autumn, which birds and mammals relish. This is one of our most beautiful native trees as a specimen or in a naturalized setting.