Fagus grandifolia this is not considered distinct in the Flora of North America. The Mexican beech ("Fagus mexicana"), native to the mountains of central Mexico, is closely related, and is sometimes treated as a subspecies of American beech, but more often as a distinct species. The only "Fagus" species found in the Western Hemisphere (assuming "F. mexicana" is treated as a subspecies), "F. grandifolia" is believed to have spanned the width of the North American continent all the way to the Pacific coast before the last ice age. It is a deciduous tree growing to tall, with smooth, silver-gray bark. The leaves
Nyssa sylvatica Nyssa sylvatica Nyssa sylvatica, commonly known as Tupelo, Black gum, sour gum, is a medium-sized deciduous tree native to eastern North America from the coastal Northeast USA and southern Ontario south to central Florida and eastern Texas, as well as Mexico. "Nyssa sylvatica"'s genus name "(Nyssa)" refers to a Greek water nymph; the species epithet "sylvatica" refers to its woodland habitat. The species' common name tupelo is of Native American origin, coming from the Creek words "ito" ‘tree’ and "opilwa" ‘swamp’; it was in use by the mid-18th century While these trees are often known as simply "tupelo", the fuller