Description
Black Gum is native to most of the eastern United States from the Mississippi river east to mid Florida, north to Massachusetts.
It is a great ornamental tree of pyramidal shape and beautiful green leaves. A great specimen tree. Leaves will turn brilliant orange and red in the fall to contrast with bright blue small fruit which can hang on thru November.
The flowers May to June with long slender pendicules. The fruit is 1/2″ long, blue-black ripens in the fall and is eaten by many birds and mammals. Bark is rough, dark gray, broken into many-sided plates and deeply furrowed. The twigs on a black gum are greenish or light brown, smooth or often downy. The buds are 1/4″ long and dark red.
The wood is heavy, soft, strong, very tough, difficult to split, not durable in contact with the soil, pale yellow with thick whitish sapwood. The wood of a tupelo is used for mauls, pulleys and woodenware.
Black Gum will grow in wet soil. Black Gum grow to 50′ in height and a spread of 30′. Hardy from zone 4-9. It is a slow to medium grower and can grow a foot a year. The tree can be difficult to transplant in caliper sizes because of the taproot. Black Gum prefers full sun to partial shade. Black Gum prefers moist, well drained acid soils but is found even on dry hill tops.
Pests: Scales and forest tent caterpillar can cause problems. Diseases of Black Gum, several fungi cause cankers and leaf spots. . Native from Maine to Michigan to Texas and Florida. It is found as far north as Manistee in the lower peninsula of Michigan.
Other local names for Black Gum are sour gum, black tupelo, pepperidge and the name tupelo is native American for swamp tree. Our other Gum. University of Missouri has a good article on Sour Gum.
Scientific Name: Nyssa sylvatica
Zone: 3-9
Mature Height: 30-50 ft
Mature Width: 20-30 ft
Fruit: Thick skinned dark purple fruit
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Bloom Time: Spring
Growth Rate: Medium (12” – 24” per year)
Soil: Does best with acidic, moist, well-drained
Drought Tolerance: Good
Flood Tolerance: Good
Fall Color: Brilliant scarlet
Wildlife Value: Browse for deer, berries are eaten by mammals and birds.
