Other Names:
Water Tupelo
Uses of Black Tupelo:
Tupelo is cut principally as lumber for boxes, pallets, crates, baskets, and furniture. It is also used in railway ties and as pulp.
Description:
Wood of the different tupelos is quite similar in appearance and properties. Heartwood is light brownish-gray and merges gradually into the lighter colored sapwood, which is generally several inches wide.
Range:
Tupelo includes water tupelo and black tupelo or blackgum. Water tupelo grows principally in the coastal regions of the Southeastern U.S. and along the lower Mississippi Valley. Black tupelo grows in the Eastern U.S. from Maine to Texas and Missouri. About two-thirds of the production of tupelo lumber is from the Southern states.
Physical Properties:
The wood has fine, uniform texture and interlocking grain. Tupelo wood is rated as moderately heavy (35lbs./cu.ft.), moderately hard and stiff, and moderately high in shock resistance. Because of interlocked grain, tupelo lumber requires care in drying.
