Look up Nyssa aquatica. That is the scientific name for water tupelo, or tupelo-gum as it is often called here. That will give you a pretty good idea of what you are looking for.
I hunt sloughs here in SELA that are almost entirely tupelo-gum where the slough never dries out. Nothing else can survive those areas. Chances are, if you find deep water with trees growing, that is a tupelo. It will co-exist with bald cypress at shallower water depths, but if the area dries out periodically, cypress will dominate with almost no tupelo present. That's where you start getting more red maple, hackberry, and oaks.
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