"Unless we can get the world to use only binomial nomenclature someone is always going to find something wrong with ANY common name." Ironically, we don't want the world to do that. Scientific names are based in Latin because it's a dead language not in use by any populations in the world, therefore it's static. Compare that to the use of the term 'ground hog' in the U.S., which could refer to a marmot or ground squirrel depending on where you're at and who you ask. If the general public used scientific names, they'd not consistently use scientific precision. Consider mismarked plants at nurseries & big box stores. They may give a scientific name, but that doesn't mean it's what the plant is. The above is my opinion, anyway. Richard.

Hair, Just stick 'em in the fridge and plant them whenever you want next spring. Several years ago, someone sent me a big bag of 'Chinese fringetree' seeds. Planted them, and seemed to have gotten 110% germination...but something just never looked right about leaf morphology for them to be C. retusus...looked vaguely familiar, but I just couldn't put my finger on what it was... until they put on their fabulous fall color display, then the lightbulb went on in my head... they were Nyssa sylvatica...

I have both Ns and Nb on my place. The Nb grows in the wet areas along the creek and the Ns grows on drier upland areas. I've never paid attention to bloom time, but they both produce fruit regularly. Beside the blossom, the only difference I can see between the two is Nb has more horizontal branching and Ns is more oval-upright. They both leaf out the same time and color deep red the same time in fall. I don't think I've seen any that I thought were intermediate, but I really haven't looked.

Sara - good question on the pollen vs nectar. At least one website I found refers specifically to the male flowers as being the most important for honey production (in this case on Nyssa ogeche ): https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/nyssa/ogeche.htm "The male flowers, in particular, produce an abundance of nectar"