This Week's Mystery Plant

These are quiet, majestic giants in the swamp, sharing their space with towering cypress and the mournful hoot-owls. Their trunks are flared out at the base (much like cypress), and of course you've probably seen their peculiar, crooked roots arising from the wet ground, together with knobby, upright knees. Mosses and liverworts frequently cover their thin, scaly bark. After a flood event, water lines can be seen on them. These trunks, especially on the larger trees, are sometimes hollow, and if there is a convenient knot-hole or crack, will provide perfect habitat for resident bats.

This species occurs naturally only on the coastal plain, from southern Virginia through the Florida panhandle, over to eastern Texas, and up the Mississippi River valley as far as southern Illinois. It really likes its feet wet, and is at home in deep river swamps, easily capable of surviving long periods of flooding.

Its leaves are elliptical, up to eight inches long, often with a large tooth (or two) on the margins. In the autumn, the leaves turn a rich, deep gold-yellow before falling away. The sour, one-seeded fruits, which are shaped like large, narrow olives, ripen in the autumn. During some years, huge amounts of these fruits will be produced, eventually falling away, and providing a food source for wildlife.

The plants bloom in the late spring, producing masses of flower clusters up in the canopy. These flowers are much prized by bees for their nectar. In fact, bee-keepers have learned that an excellent honey can be made from this nectar. The trick is to move your bee-hives into the swamp at just the right time, when not many other species are blooming; otherwise the honey would be something of a mixture of flavors. (To know more about the local honey-making industry, you might want to visit the friendly folks at "Bee City," which is located in Colleton County, just west of Givhans Ferry State Park, and whose web site is at www.beecity.net). (Photo by Linda Lee.)

Photo by Linda Lee